The One Who Chose
by Bubble-Lord
Summary: The Boy Who Lived or The Boy Who Got Lucky? The Chosen One or the One Who Was Chosen For Something That He Didn't Want? Harry is presented with shocking revelations in dark times, what will he choose to do with his family and his life? Severitus Challenge
1. The Boy Who Feared the Night

Vernon Dursley once again was forcefully wrenched from the depths of his blissful slumber by the loud screaming of his troublesome nephew. Vernon jumped out of bed, furious with the audacity of his nephew to wake _him_, the very man who had graciously provided shelter for the wretched menace for all these years, from his much needed slumber. He briefly checked that Petunia was asleep before he left the room and headed over to where the boy slept to give him a piece of his mind.

Vernon didn't see why the boy had these night terrors anyway; a strong boy like his Dudley would never give into such childish imaginings. It must be due to poor genes, or simply his freakishness.

The boy continued to scream, a part of Vernon hoped that the neighbours wouldn't hear, but another part, the part that won out, wanted to give the boy something to really scream for.

Vernon picked up a belt from a pile of clothes on the floor as he entered Harry's room. This boy needed to be taught a lesson.

Severus Snape barely had time to gulp down a pain relieving draught after a harrowing audience with the Dark Lord before apparating away into the night to meet his other master, at another secret meeting of a similar yet entirely different nature.

_Master_, he hated that word, he hated the idea of being controlled, that his will belonged to someone else.

However, it was necessary, and the protection that both of his masters provided was very useful.

Severus entered the old townhouse that had appeared as soon as he had thought of the address; _12 Grimmauld Place, London. _He walked in his usual silent pace, careful not to disrupt the wicked harpy of a woman who resided in the portrait at the end of the hall.

He entered the kitchen, many faces turning to stare as he did so, then stopped and waited to be addressed by his second master.

"Severus, how nice of you to join us." Albus greeted warmly, he gestured towards the only empty chair at the table, "Please, take a seat."

Severus wished that he could decline as he usually did and stay hidden by himself in the shadows however he was tired and the information that he had to share was too important to engage in such antisocial behaviours.

Severus took his seat, ignoring the existence of the mangy mutt seated opposite him. He really wondered why the mutt actually came sometimes, it wasn't as if he actually did anything.

Albus noticed the change from his usual behaviour and obviously sensed that something serious had happened, as evidenced by the worried look on his face. Severus appreciated the man's kindness sometimes, although it did lead to further meddling.

"Severus, are you alright?" he asked, a look of deep concern on his wizened face. "What has happened?"

Severus was truly amazed at Albus' ability to feel compassion for everyone, especially considering the annoying nature of some of the people whom he was acquainted with, including the mangy mutt who was now interrupting his musings by demanding that he 'spit it out already'.

Severus gave the man, one of the banes of his existence, a quick glare before simply stating "The Dark Lord is looking for something."

The mutt scowled at his use of the term, whilst his friend, the werewolf asked "What is it that he's looking for?"

Severus sighed internally, he was tired after the long and eventful night and just wanted to leave to enjoy the privacy of his quarters, so he decided to keep it short.

He turned to face Albus, "Do you remember the prophecy?"

Whilst the rest of the people seated at the table made statements of confusion, Albus simply stared at Severus, his eyes widening.

Albus, knew what the prophecy contained, what it meant, what it could mean for Harry's fate.

Albus knew that Voldemort couldn't be allowed to get anywhere near it.


	2. The Boy Who Had a Cousin

**A/N: **I totally forgot to put a note in the first chapter, anyway sorry it was short but it was just sort of an intro chapter that I wanted to upload right away this story will have violence in it, and corporal punishment so just a heads up.  
><strong>UPDATE: <strong>I changed this chapter a bit, the wand isn't a wand and I didn't make that clear enough when I first wrote it.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, the associated characters and series belong to JK Rowling, I make no profits from the use of the characters and associated content.

Harry winced at the pain shooting through his back as he bent down to remove another unruly weed from his aunt's vegetable patch. He began to curse his aunt's idea to grow their own fresh produce, in an effort to be more environmentally friendly and also get Dudley to consider more carefully the kinds of foods that he threw into his mouth.

It actually did seem to be helping Dudley, the boy had shed a few pounds, although that was mainly due to his regular gym visits, and was a lot more interested in his health. He had been a lot nicer too, mainly due to the crippled boy whom he had befriended and later found out to be a squib.

Dudley had recalled the tale to Harry one day, and Harry couldn't be happier that Dudley was finally leaving his immature, bullying self behind and acting like a decent human being.

_It was an average Monday morning at Smeltings the prestigious private school that Dudley attended. Dudley was bored, he had already earned himself one detention today but he had grown sick of bullying the same people all the time and was looking for a fresh target._

_Suddenly the door opened and everyone, except for him, sat up straighter in their seats to try and look good and impress the headmaster whom their teacher warned them was coming by with a new student today. Dudley perked up and sat a little straighter in his seat, excited at the prospect of having someone new to tease._

_The headmaster entered the room, glaring at everyone, challenging them to step one toe out of line. No-one else would ever dare of course, Dudley was one of only a few troublemakers at the school, and his family had a proud tradition of that. He was also in the fortunate position of being the leader of the gang that consisted of all of the known troublesome students, however the group had been thinning as of late due to a recent crackdown on bullying. The headmaster didn't want any more rudely behaved students besmirching the name of the prestigious academy so he had put new enforcements in place, strict new rules that forbid any forms of harassment or tomfoolery, and even stricter punishments should any students dare to break those rules._

_Dudley hadn't given up however; he bent every rule and exploited every loophole that he could without getting caught. Even though he had received detentions recently he knew his father wouldn't allow him to be expelled, so he continued on with his fun._

_The headmaster held the door open to allow another person to enter. Dudley saw the huge wheels first, followed by the rest of the wheelchair in which sat a boy of around Dudley's age, with weak looking crippled legs. Dudley brightened up instantly; this was a victim who couldn't fight back._

_The boy wheeled himself to the front of the room and the headmaster introduced him. "This is toby," he said, looking around the room at the students seated quietly, "he is the newest member of your class, and you are to treat him like a friend, just as we teach you here. Is that clear?" he focused on Dudley with that last line as there was a chorus of 'yes sir' throughout the class._

_"Very good then, Mr. Dursley I would like a word." the headmaster stated, holding the door open for Dudley to walk through._

_Dudley couldn't help but feel a little worried, he hoped he wouldn't be suspended or anything. He braced himself slightly as the headmaster shut the door, leaving them alone in the empty corridor. The man had a legendary temper and Dudley was smart enough to not want to get on the wrong side of it. He hadn't really experienced it before as the deputy used to control punishment, but with new rules came stricter enforcers._

_The headmaster stared at Dudley, thinking._

_"What have I done wrong sir?" Dudley asked, feigning innocence was always a good idea._

_"You are extremely close to being expelled," the headmaster stated, not bothering to soften the blow. "You have completely ignored every rule we have at this school, you have no respect for fellow students and you enjoy causing them pain, I should have expelled you a long time ago." the headmaster paused, studying Dudley's face._

_"However, I believe that you could change, you could become a better person. I am giving you one more chance, you will be Toby's mentor, you will help him learn his way around the school, you will be his friend. If you manage to do that you will be off the hook. However,, if you screw up you will be expelled. Is that clear?"_

_"Yes sir." Dudley replied._

_"Good, back to class then."_

_Dudley returned to class in a contemplative state, part of him wanted to listen to the headmaster's advice because he really didn't want to be expelled. However, another part of him was annoyed that the headmaster had dared to tell him off and threaten him like that._

_Dudley sat down in his usual spot, a scowl on his face._

"_Hi," Toby said, having just wheeled over to sit at the desk next to Dudley. "Ms. Reilly said that you would be helping me."_

_Dudley turned to face the boy, the scowl still on his face, "I'll help you learn to shut up in a minute." He said grumpily, he was not in the mood for this._

_The rest of the lesson passed by uneventfully, Toby and Dudley studiously ignored each other, Toby burying his nose in his textbooks and Dudley flinging wads of paper at the backs of unsuspecting students when no-one was looking. Eventually it came to recess and the class rushed out, like the floodgates holding them back had been removed._

_Toby wheeled along behind Dudley, to his favourite corner of the playground where he usually hung out with his friends. Two of them were already waiting for them, but their smiles turned to frowns as they saw Toby following him._

"_Are you babysitting the cripple boy?" Piers shouted mockingly._

_Dudley's scowl returned, "The headmaster made me, you know what he's like."_

"_Is widdle Dudders afraid of getting in twouble?" Piers mocked, "Come on, let's go hang out with someone cooler than this." He said, leaving with the other boy._

_Dudley watched them leave, his hands balling into fists, he turned on Toby and began to yell at him. "You have to ruin everything, don't you? I would rather get expelled than hang out with you any day!" And with that he aimed a punch at the boy's face. _

_The punch never connected, Toby grabbed Dudley's arm and twisted it, sending him falling to the ground. He then pulled a stick of wood out of his pocket and aimed it at the boy._

_Dudley was winded but still managed to scramble back as soon as he saw the stick, was it a wand? "Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry!" he said cowering from the spell that he expected to come shooting at him._

_Toby examined Dudley calculatingly "how do you know about magic?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice._

"_My cousins a freak- ah, wizard too." Dudley replied, still afraid of being attacked._

"_Did you say a 'freak'? I would give anything to be a real wizard!" Toby replied, annoyed._

_Dudley stopped cowering, "you mean you're not a wizard?" He asked, confusion evident in his voice._

_Toby lowered the stick, __a mere muggle wouldn't know that it wasn't a real wand, only a replica made for him by his parents, to try and make him feel less excluded from the wizarding society. Such a tool was useless for anything magical , especially in his hands. _"_No, I'm a squib, my parents had magic, along with the rest of my family, but I was born without it."_

"_Oh, that must be hard for you…?" Dudley replied, almost beginning to feel for the boy._

"_Yeah, but I get over it." The boy shrugged, "now come on, let's go to the library and start that assignment."_

_Dudley followed after the boy; he was almost beginning to like him._

From then on Dudley and Toby had been the best of friends, and Dudley's attitude towards Harry had changed a lot as well. In fact, they were beginning to act less like enemies and more like friends, even family.

In fact Dudley had been helping Harry out a lot lately; Harry had been having nightmares all holidays, almost every time it was the same one too. The image of Cedric's body being blasted with green light would haunt Harry's memories forever, however last night it was different. Last night he had a vision of Voldemort surrounded by his loyal followers; it was a Death Eater meeting. He had witnessed al of the events including Snape's torture, until we woke up to even more pain.

Dudley didn't like to see Harry being hurt and so always looked after him after the nightmares, and encounters with Vernon. Dudley had even administered first aid a couple of times. Harry was grateful that Dudley seemed to have developed a more mature and caring side; he got the feeling that he wouldn't be alive without it.

**A/N: **I hope you liked the chapter, please read and review, it makes me happy :D


	3. The Boy Who Needed a Shield

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews for last chapter. This chapter will have violence and Harry will get hurt, so just a warning. There's a disclaimer in the 2nd chapter but just to remind you, I own nothing to do with Harry Potter and do not profit from writing these stories.

Sirius sat down to read the latest letter from his godson; he had been maintaining regular correspondence with him over the holidays and looked forward to the letters.

_Dear Padfoot,_

It began, Sirius smiled at the use of his old nickname.

_I'm doing well, slightly better in a way as Dudley has been pretty nice to me lately, as weird as that may seem. There was one thing that I wanted to ask you about though. I've been having these dreams lately of Voldemort and his death eaters, it's like I'm there at the meetings, and the way I see it is as if I am Voldemort himself. It's just so real, I even watched Snape being tortured!_

_Do you have any idea what's happening to me? I'm afraid that I may be becoming more like him, and I don't want that to happen._

_Hopefully I will see you soon._

_Harry._

Sirius was concerned; he knew that Harry and Voldemort were linked together in some sort of way after Voldemort had tried to kill Harry. He just didn't know how closely linked they were, and how it would affect them. There was to be an Order meeting later that night, he would ask Dumbledore about it then. Meanwhile he would ask how Molly felt about Harry staying for the rest of the summer.

Harry had finally finished tending to the garden by the time the sun had set, usually Dudley would come and help but he had gone to see a movie with Toby. Harry went inside and began to prepare dinner, he was cooking a roast and was very glad when Dudley came in about ten minutes after he had started preparing the meal and began to help him, chattering on about the random events that had occurred in the alien comedy he'd gone to see.

Harry had secretly given Dudley a couple of cooking lessons in the past few days, Dudley enjoyed them greatly and expressed his interest in becoming a chef when he graduated from school. Harry had fun teaching Dudley and thought that it was a great thing for him to learn.

His father however thought otherwise, the boys jumped as they heard Vernon's voice shouting "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

"We're just-" Harry tried to explain but was cut off by his screaming uncle.

"What sort of foul enchantments have you cast upon my son? How dare you treat him like a slave?"

"Dad, he's just-" Dudley tried to explain before he too was interrupted.

"And now you've cursed him to make him stand up for you? You evil lazy child! You have no right to curse Dudley and make him do all of your work like a servant! After all the things we have done for you, we have taken you in, clothed you, fed you, put up with your freakishness and THIS is how you repay us?

Harry was furious. "You think I'm treating him like a slave? This is simply one of the many tasks that you force me to do! You are the pathetic excuses for human beings that treat _me_ like a slave! You make cook, clean, garden, do everything for you without giving me anything in return except for punishment for my inability to carry out tasks that any grown man would find it hard to do! You are just a big, fat coward who-"He was cut off as his uncle's large meaty hand hit the side of his head with the force of a bulldozer, sending him flying towards the ground.

"DAD STOP IT!" Dudley yelled, standing protectively in front of Harry as Vernon went for another blow.

"Dudley, you don't understand, he's bewitched you! Now get out of my way!" Vernon yelled, shoving his son aside.

"What's going on here?" Harry heard Petunia's posh voice as she came downstairs.

"Harry has cursed our son." Vernon stated furiously.

"No-"Harry and Dudley both went to say before they were interrupted.

"SILENCE!" Vernon shouted. "Petunia, you take Dudley to his bedroom, I need to teach Harry a lesson."

Petunia pulled the struggling Dudley upstairs and into his bedroom whilst Vernon grabbed Harry by the hair and dragged him over to the cupboard under the stairs and shoved him in. Vernon entered the dark, cramped space and closed the door behind him, shutting the vent so that no sound could escape.

He picked up a scrap piece of metal pipe from where it was leaning against the wall, "now this is what you get for bewitching my son." He said, raising the pipe.

Harry closed his eyes and waited for the pain.

Sirius waited for most of the Order members to leave before he attempted to speak to Dumbledore about Harry's problem. Sirius had to wait impatiently however as Snivellus was still conversing with the headmaster regarding one of the many dark deeds that he was so deeply involved in.

Finally Snape shut his mouth and Sirius was able to talk to the headmaster. "Harry has been having weird dreams." Sirius stated rather bluntly, not wanting to give Snape a chance to interrupt.

"What kind of weird dreams?" Dumbledore asked concernedly whilst Snape merely rolled his eyes, obviously believing that nightmares were a much too frivolous issue to bring to the headmaster's attention.

Sirius briefly glared at Snape before explaining, "He's been having these visions of Voldemort and his death eaters. He describes it as being like he is Voldemort and seeing through Voldemort's eyes." He turned towards Snape, "he even watched you being tortured by Voldemort."

There was a brief flicker of emotion in Snape's eyes; it looked like he was worried, before his face returned to its usual blank state.

Dumbledore seemed very troubled by the news; the twinkle had left his bright blue eyes as he stared contemplatively at the opposite wall. "It seems," he began slowly, still in deep thought, "that what I had suspected is true."

"What had you suspected Albus?" Sirius asked, eager to learn more so that he could help his godson.

Dumbledore turned to face Sirius, a grave look upon his face. "I suspected that when Voldemort tried to kill Harry 14 years ago and failed, a connection was formed between them. I suspected that this connection has steadily grown stronger since Voldemort's return to a corporeal form. I suspected that eventually Voldemort may become aware of this and manipulate the connection to his advantage."

"What can we do about this connection?" Sirius asked in a concerned tone. "What magic can prevent this?"

Snape rolled his eyes, "Did you never pay attention in Defence Against the Dark Arts? The boy needs to learn Occlumency, although that would be a futile effort as only the most powerful and intelligent wizards can master the skill."

"I guess you haven't mastered it yet then Snivellus." Sirius stated, annoyed at Snape.

Snape was about to reply before Dumbledore gave him a silencing glance. "So you agree that it would take a long time to train Harry in the art of Occlumency then?" Dumbledore asked him.

"Yes." Snape replied, the look on his face suggesting that he thought it would take forever to teach him.

"And you agree that it would be very difficult?"

"Yes."

"And you agree that he could not be trained by someone who is very busy?"

"Yes."

Sirius began to wonder if Dumbledore was suggesting that Harry not receive training at all.

"And you agree that this connection is a security breach?"

"Yes." Severus frowned slightly, wondering where Albus was going with his questioning.

"And so you agree that this connection should be blocked off?"

"Yes."

"And you agree that Harry would have to have a very skilled teacher?"

"Yes, of course Albus." Severus was getting a little frustrated.

"And so you agree that the most skilled person in Occlumency in this room who fits all of those criteria should teach Harry Occlumency right away."

"Yes, I do."

"Well thank you for volunteering so readily Severus." Albus smiled the twinkle back in his eye.

"Wait, what?" Severus and Sirius both exclaimed.

"I am much too busy to be teaching Harry Occlumency, and Severus is potentially even more skilled than I am, I've definitely not had to test my skills against Voldemort as many times. Therefore it is logical that Severus be the one to train Harry in Occlumency."

"I am not training that arrogant brat in Occlumency!"

"He is not going near my godson!"

"Oh trust me mutt, I don't want to be near Potter for any longer than I have to."

"Calm down, both of you." Dumbledore sighed, "Severus you _have_ to teach Harry Occlumency, it is dangerous for everyone if you don't. And Sirius, Severus will not harm your godson I assure you." Albus looked at Sirius and Severus who were both avoiding each other's gaze and the headmaster's. "You, Severus, will train Harry in Occlumency, and you, Sirius, will trust Severus to not harm your godson. Is that clear?"

The two wizards nodded, both still avoiding each other's gaze.

"Good, now you can shake on it." The headmaster smiled a little inside; hopefully they would stop hating each other someday and it would be much easier to deal with issues like this. Although, it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Sirius and Severus looked up into each other's gaze, both frowned and stuck out their hands, grasping them and quickly shaking before retracting their arms in fear of any germs that the other one carried.

"Now, goodnight to both of you." Albus said, rising from the table and heading for the fireplace where he disappeared, followed closely by Severus whose robes billowed behind him as usual.

Sirius sighed, he didn't like the arrangements that much but at least it would keep Harry safe.

**A/N:** Please read and review, also I saw Harry potter and the Deahtly Hallows Part 2 twice today (once at midnight) and it was so awesome but so sad in one part especially!


	4. The Boy Who Was Saved

**A/N: **Thanks for the lovely reviews (TayaCurragh that was the impression I was going for, Dumbelore being nice and wise and all).  
>I got this chapter done quickly but I'll probably only be updating weekly or something once school starts again (yay for 2 week break). Anyway, disclaimer in chapter 2 and Harry is hurt so beware if you don't like that kind of thing.<p>

oOo

Severus Snape entered 12 Grimmauld Place silently, trying not to disturb the large portrait of Sirius' mother at the end of the corridor, not that he really needed to. For some reason Sirius' mother didn't yell profanities at him or make insults regarding his blood status like she did with the other people who disturbed her slumber. He supposed that she could sense his darkness and knew that he was a death eater like her younger son.

Severus continued on past the kitchen, looking for Sirius. Albus had sent him to find the mutt and arrange the transportation of Potter to Grimmauld Place. Severus didn't know why the boy needed to be moved anyway, the holidays had only started a week ago; wouldn't the brat want to spend more time with his doting family? Although, maybe Albus would want him to start teaching the boy Occlumency right away, it seemed like something the headmaster would love to do, just to ruin Severus' mood.

Severus headed towards the lounge room; Sirius had to be inside the house somewhere. He didn't know why he'd been sent to talk to the fleabag anyway, Albus was more than capable of arranging things and it was very demeaning for Severus to run around like a messenger boy. Severus had to stop Albus' attempts at trying to make him and Sirius get along, it just got annoying sometimes.

Severus entered the lounge room and, after confirming that the room was empty, was about to head towards the staircase and continue his search for the mutt upstairs when he glimpsed something that looked like Potter's face out of the corner of his eye. He assumed that it was just a photo and was about to move on when he heard a voice.

"Someone, help!" The voice said. Severus turned to find the source of the voice and noticed that what he had assumed was a photograph of Potter was actually some sort of mirror, and Potter's face had been replaced by that of a slightly chubby teenage boy. The boy looked to be about Potter's age and was clearly the source of the voice; the boy looked strangely familiar as well.

"Who are you?" Severus asked, somewhat surprised that Sirius hadn't heard the boy's cry. "And what do you want?"

"My name's Dudley," the boy replied, he seemed shocked that someone had replied, and afraid of something too. "I'm Harry Potter's cousin; he's been badly injured and he needs help." With that the view of the mirror shifted from Dudley to Harry's battered, unconscious face.

"Oh great, where the bloody hell is the mangy mutt when you need him?" Severus muttered to himself. "Wait there, I'll be there to help in a few minutes." He said to the mirror, hoping that Dudley heard him. Severus then turned towards the stairs, "SIRIUS!" he shouted, hoping that the man was there.

When there was no reply after half a minute Severus decided to just go without him, Potter had looked pretty badly injured and as much as the boy annoyed him, Severus really didn't want him to die right now.

oOo

Harry had woken to complete darkness and the feel of a damp cloth against his forehead. He tried to move his limbs but everything hurt so badly, the pain almost sent him back to unconsciousness.

"Harry, can you hear me?" He heard his cousin ask, lifting the cloth from his forehead.

"Dud-"Harry began but then he began to cough, which then set his chest on fire. It felt like he had broken some ribs.

"Shh, if Dad finds out that I'm helping you then both of us will be in big trouble."

Harry needed to get out of there, he had to get help but he couldn't move and he certainly couldn't get Dudley to send a letter with Hedwig, she was off flying. He racked his brain for ideas while trying to remain conscious when suddenly he remembered the gift that Sirius had given him for Christmas last year.

"Dudley, I need you to get me something." Harry managed to say, even speaking hurt his ribs.

"What?"

"There's a mirror, upstairs, in my trunk."

"Harry, what do you need a mirror for? Now is not the time to be looking at yourself." Dudley clearly thought that Harry was going insane.

"It's not for that; it's like a video phone." Harry began to feel incredibly dizzy and hoped that his cousin would just hurry up and get it.

"Oh, ok, I'll get it then."

Harry must have blacked out because the next thing that he remembered was being shaken awake by Dudley who was holding the mirror to his face.

"Now what do I do?" Dudley asked, full of concern for Harry and fear that he would die.

"Sirius." Harry said towards the mirror, praying that it would work. He saw the mirror glow and a room in an old, dark house appear before he drifted off once again.

oOo

_Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey_ Severus remembered the address well, and it was there that he apparated. He had sent a message to Albus with his patronus to tell him about Potter, and where Severus was heading. He hoped that it was a real emergency and not some desperate plea for attention, but from Dudley's frantic expression and Harry's bruised face, he didn't think that either of them was lying.

Severus walked down the path, past the perfectly pruned flowers (Petunia must have been living up to her name) and towards the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited, not particularly wanting to see anyone who lived in this house.

He wondered if Potter was actually there, it seemed weird that he had tried to contact Sirius before receiving assistance from his loving relatives. Perhaps he had been involved in an accident whilst doing something that he shouldn't have been. Either way, it was Severus' duty of care as a professor to find out what was going on. Yes, that was the only reason he was there, because he had to come.

Petunia Dursley opened the door and frowned when she saw who it was that had interrupted her cleaning. "You're that Snape man aren't you? What are _you_ doing here?"

Severus sighed internally; he was almost surprised that Petunia had recognized him, "I wish to speak with Mr. Potter."

"I'm afraid he's busy right now." Petunia said, she began to close the door but stopped as Snape had put his foot in the way to stop it from closing.

"You misunderstand; I _will_ talk to Mr. Potter." Snape said his black glare boring into Petunia.

Petunia's frown grew deeper, "I will not have any freakishness occurring in this house." She hissed.

"Magic isn't freakishness Petunia, are you still jealous of Lily?" Snape said, a mocking tone to his voice.

"How dare you-"Petunia began, she stopped however as Snape pushed past her and into the house.

"Now, where will I find Mr. Potter?" He asked, impatient with Petunia.

While Petunia was babbling on about how rude he was for barging into her home, Severus looked past her and at the staircase where the Dudley boy was standing. The boy held a finger up to his lips to warn Severus to be quiet before pointing down at the door in the side of the staircase. Dudley then silently ran back up the stairs and disappeared.

Severus frowned and headed over to the cupboard in the stairs, it was very suspicious, Petunia didn't want him to speak to Potter and Dudley was secretive about telling Severus where the boy was. Why would the boy be in there anyway? He would barely fit, even though he had always been small for his age.

"What are you doing?" He heard Petunia ask before he reached the cupboard and opened the door to reveal the bloody mess that was the Boy Who Lived.

oOo

Sirius had been in his mother's bedroom feeding Buckbeak the hippogriff when Dumbledore's head appeared in the grand fireplace. Sirius looked over at the noise and dropped the piece of meat that he was currently holding. "Albus, what's wrong?"

Dumbledore's face was grave, "Harry has been injured, and Severus has brought him to the school." Dumbledore sighed. "Sirius, it seems as thought it was his relatives that did it."

Sirius stared into the fireplace, shocked. He couldn't believe that Harry had been hurt, he was furious at those muggles for daring to touch him. In fact, he would go over there right then and teach them a lesson. He picked up his wand and headed for the door.

"Sirius." Dumbledore stated in a warning tone of voice, guessing Sirius' intentions. "I forbid you from visiting the Dursleys' house, they will be dealt with in due course, but for now Harry needs you."

Sirius sighed and turned back to face Dumbledore, "I'll come now."

Dumbledore nodded and disappeared, leaving only red flames behind.

Sirius walked over to the fireplace and picked up some green powder from the jar on top of the fireplace. He threw the powder into the fireplace, shouted "Hospital Wing, Hogwarts." And stepped in, the emerald green flames whisking him away.

oOo

**A/N:** 'video phone' was how I described the mirror to my muggle friend too :D Also, I hope the bubbles worked oOo please read and review my lovely readers.

Until next time, may your day stay bubbly!


	5. The Boy Who Had No Home

**A/N:** _Ok, so I had a very unproductive day and decided to make doll clothes and write another chapter. Thanks for the great reviews! They make me warm and fuzzy like my socks  
>Harry Potter does not belong to me, blah blah blah, see a proper disclaimer in chapter 2.<br>WARNING: Implied/mentioned abuse and Harry's injuries are mentioned.  
>Anyway, hope you enjoy.<em>

oOo

Poppy Pomfrey stood by Harry's' bed in the Hospital Wing, waiting for the next batch of potions to arrive. She had been shocked when Harry had first arrived, she couldn't believe that his family would do something like this to him, but Severus had confirmed that it was indeed Harry's uncle's doing.

This wasn't the first time that she'd had to deal with a student who suffered from abuse, a few of the pure blood families still believed in corporal punishment and she had spoken to a few parents in her time after having to treat their injured children. The cases hadn't been too bad however, except for one other boy, a boy who was now a man and shared a lot more in common with Harry Potter than he thought.

Poppy's thoughts were interrupted as that very man entered the Hospital Wing. "I have the potions that you requested." Severus said, holding a bunch of vials out to Poppy.

"Thank you Severus." Poppy replied, taking the vials from him and placing them on the nightstand next to Harry's bed. Severus merely nodded and began to turn away but stopped as Poppy told him to wait. "Severus, you should help him." She said, almost pleading.

Severus' face remained blank as he spoke a single word, "why?"

"You've been through this, you know what it's like, you know how it feels-"

"I do not wish to relive painful memories just to make the Potter brat feel better." Severus interrupted in a cold tone before turning and heading for the door.

"He's Lily's son too." Poppy called after him, "help the boy for her sake."

Severus stopped and sighed, "I sincerely doubt that Harry Potter would ever want my help." He said to Poppy, "and I sincerely doubt that I would ever want to give it to him." He added to himself as he walked out the door and headed towards the dungeons.

Poppy sighed and began administering potions. She jumped in surprise as the floo flared up; breaking the silent atmosphere of the Hospital Wing, and Sirius Black stepped out. He took one glance at his godson's inert form then gasped and ran over to his side. He was speechless, a shocked expression on his face.

'His relatives did this to him?" Sirius asked, the shock clear in his voice.

"Yes, Severus has confirmed that it was Vernon Dursley, his uncle."

"How come Severus was the one to find him?" Sirius asked, confused.

"Apparently Severus went to your house to speak with you and whilst looking for you he was alerted by Harry's cousin through that two-way mirror that you and Harry share."

"It's lucky that he was there then, do you know what he wanted to speak to me about?"

"I don't know. Dumbledore is the one who sent him so you'd have to ask him." Poppy replied, usually she would have kicked Sirius out by now but she was incredibly shocked by what had happened to Harry and was sort of comforted by Sirius' presence. She knew that Sirius would refuse to leave anyway, so it was easier to just let him stay.

"So how bad are his injuries?" Sirius asked, breaking the brief silence that had fallen between them.

Poppy returned to her professional manner, trying not to dwell too much on how the injuries were caused. "2 fractured ribs, a broken arm, minor internal bleeding, a lost tooth, bruising to the face and torso along with scar tissue on the back and several other minor injuries. He is also severely malnourished."

Sirius nodded, visibly shaken by the news, but also feeling anger towards the Dursleys for doing this to Harry, to his godson "how long will it take for him to heal?"

"Physically, he will be unconscious for about a week as his body heals itself; mentally he's going to need a lot of help."

Sirius nodded and sat down in a chair next to Harry's bed, he was going to be there for him, to help him. As he watched Poppy bustle about healing his godson he decided that he must thank Severus, Harry would be a lot worse off right now if it wasn't for him.

oOo

Severus Snape moved about in his private laboratory in the dungeons, working on 3 potions at once, trying to keep busy so that his thoughts were occupied and would not dwell on old memories that were best left forgotten.

He tossed some form of chopped up root into a potion then continued on to the next, stirring 3 times clockwise followed by another 2 counter clockwise stirs before moving on to the third cauldron just in time to prevent it from bubbling over.

How could Poppy even think of asking him to help Potter? She knew how painful the memories were for him.

He added armadillo bile to the first cauldron and stirred it in.

Severus' childhood definitely hadn't been an easy one; he had a bad tempered father who came home drunk every night. He was a violent drunk too.

He added 16 beetle eyes to the second potion before moving on once again.

He had tried to run away from home once but had changed his mind at the last minute as he was afraid of his mother being hurt. His father was furious when he found out and both Severus and his mother were punished for it.

He cracked open 3 frozen Ashwinder eggs and emptied their contents into the third cauldron.

He was almost relieved when his mother had died, it meant that he didn't have to worry about her anymore and was able to leave home without fear when he was 16.

Severus moved more frantically, trying to get out of this train of thought. It proved useless however; he still could not prevent the memory of a half empty glass bottle heading towards his face from entering his mind.

"AAAH!" He shouted into the empty dungeon as the third cauldron, the most important one, bubbled over, extinguishing the fire beneath it. He quickly bottled up the other two potions before slumping to the floor, his back leaning against the cold dungeon wall and his head in his hands.

Potters always had to go and ruin everything; clearly it was in their genes. He didn't want to help the boy; he _couldn't _help the boy, no matter whose son he was. How was he meant to help Potter when he was still burying the memories of his own childhood?

Severus looked over at the mess surrounding the third cauldron, the remains of what used to be dreamless sleep potion. Clearly he was going to be having nightmares tonight. He sighed and stood up, vanishing the mess with his wand before picking up the vials of the other potions and heading to the Hospital Wing.

oOo

Albus Dumbledore paced back and forth in his office; the pacing helped him to think, especially in times like this. He had a lot to deal with at the moment, but luckily the prophecy was safe for now so that was one less thing. Once Severus had reported that Voldemort was attempting to obtain the prophecy, a guard duty had been established in the Department of Mysteries. It had occurred right underneath Fudge's nose and he was none the wiser, which was a good thing for them but bad as well, as it meant that Voldemort could also be organizing secretive events inside the Ministry.

On the subject of Voldemort, there hadn't been a Death Eater meeting for a few days so his hunt for the prophecy must not have started yet. Maybe they would be safe for a while longer, it definitely seemed as though they had a head start in protecting the prophecy before Voldemort could get to it. Perhaps it would be easier to just move the prophecy now and put it in a safe place….

No, that would require Harry to obtain the prophecy as prophecies could only be retrieved by the people whom they are about. Albus wanted to keep Harry safe, and part of him dreaded Harry discovering the contents of the prophecy and what they predicted for his future.

Harry. Albus couldn't believe that he had been so stupid as to overlook Harry's relatives and the signs of abuse that Harry had shown throughout his years at Hogwarts. Sure, he had known that Petunia was not fond of Lily's magical abilities, but he had thought that she would overlook her hatred and fear of magic because Harry was her nephew. Albus had been naïve to assume that, he hated himself for it. He would have to apologise to Harry once the boy was well again, if he would ever be well again.

Albus sighed; Harry could not be allowed to return to his relatives' house, no matter how powerful the blood wards were. They likely would have failed by now anyway as the pain that the Dursleys had inflicted upon Harry would likely cancel out any protection from their shared blood.

Harry could stay at the castle for now, then perhaps Sirius could become his permanent guardian, he was Harry's godfather after all, surely they would both love that. For the time being Albus would send an owl to Molly, who was going to be arriving with the rest of the Weasleys and Miss Granger at Grimmauld place soon to stay for the rest of the holidays, and who would have expected Harry at her home in a few hours. He would tell her that Harry had been in an accident, but he didn't need to tell her the rest of the details, not now anyway.

oOo

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed, sorry for hurting Harry. Please read and review, Harry and Snape will talk to each other someday ;)  
>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo<em>


	6. The Boy Who Slept

**A/N:** _Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been busy with friends, ice skating, driving lessons and stuff, also doing some holiday homework, the best kind *rolls eyes*._

_Thanks for the reviews from last chapter though _

_Please note that Dumbledore's favourite lemon flavoured sweets are known as __**lemon drops**__ in America (and other places I'm sure) but as __**sherbet lemons**__ in the UK and Australia (and so on). I think sherbet lemons sounds cuter._

_Harry Potter does not belong to me, I make no profit, I am poor etc. etc._

_Now to the story ;)_

oOo

Harry Potter had been sleeping for four days.

Poppy Pomfrey had been caring for him for four days.

Sirius Black had been watching over his unconscious form for four days.

Albus Dumbledore had been managing mysterious plans regarding him for four days.

Severus Snape had been brewing potions to heal him, cursing his very existence and trying to block terrible memories that he had brought to the surface for four days.

oOo

Albus headed down from his majestic office towards the staff room. He had called a meeting to introduce new staff members and address recent changes within the castle. He entered the well-furnished room to find that there was one other person already there, well one other cat actually.

"Minerva, your promptness delights me." Albus beamed and pulled a sweet out of his pocket, offering it to the cat. "Sherbet lemon?"

The cat transformed into a tall, thin, stern looking woman. "No thank you Albus, you know I do not care much for sweets."

Albus sighed, "One can only try." He popped a sherbet lemon into his own mouth. "Actually, it's a good thing that you are so early Minerva." He paused briefly to suck on the sweet. "I meant to inform you that there will be an urgent Order meeting tonight."

Minerva frowned slightly, "Why is it so urgent?"

Albus smiled, "That you will find out soon." He took his seat at the head of the long table just in time as the rest of the staff began to pile in. Minerva took her seat at his right.

When all of the staff members were seated at the table (Severus was not the last for once as Sybil claimed that she had lost her way due to her inner eye being clouded) Albus began the meeting.

"No doubt you all wonder about the changes to our staff this year, most notably the Defence Against the Dark Arts position." he paused briefly as there was some chatter between professors regarding this statement until Minerva hushed them. "However I must keep you hanging for longer whilst I address another issue. You may have realised that Harry Potter has been staying in the Hospital Wing recently due to serious injury. Because of these injuries and external issues surrounding their cause, Mr. Potter will be staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer holidays."

The table burst into noise as the staff discussed this development, the only silent ones being Severus, Minerva and Albus himself. There was a fair share of both positive and negative comments regarding the situation.

"Won't he be in the way?" Professor Sinistra asked, calling over all the noise.

"I agree; he will need supervision." Madam Hooch agreed.

"Trust me; Mr. Potter will be very well supervised. Severus has volunteered to give up his time and tutor Harry in Potions." Albus replied, the twinkle in his eyes even brighter.

The table fell silent as everyone stared at Severus disbelievingly, Severus glowered back challengingly. He cursed the infuriating headmaster, he hadn't yet agreed to teach the brat for the rest of the summer but it seemed as though the headmaster had forced him into it. At least he had used the Potions excuse that Severus had come up with as a cover for the Occlumency training. It made more sense than any excuse that Albus would likely come up with.

"Now to the next matter; changes in staffing." Albus began, drawing everyone's eyes away from Severus and back to him. "As you may have noticed, Hagrid is gone. He will be away for the first month of the school term and his position will be filled by Professor Grubbly-Plank."

The table was once again filled with noise as the staff discussed this, most comments were of relief. The professors could sleep better at night knowing that there wasn't going to be a horde of monsters invading the castle after one of Hagrid's strange projects.

Albus waited for silence then continued, "Alastor, that is the real Alastor, has sadly refused my offer for him to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts this year, so the position will be filled by another ex-professor. Remus Lupin has consented to return to Hogwarts and fill the position."

The table was filled with even more noise and discussion this time.

"Surely Albus, you will not endanger the students' lives by having a werewolf teach them?" Severus asked.

Albus knew his apparent concern was fake and his desire for the man to not teach was fuelled by the grudge that he and Remus shared. "Remus' condition is completely manageable through the use of Wolfsbane potion." Albus replied, "Surely you remember that?"

There was more muttering around the table but Albus ignored that and continued speaking. "Remus was the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher that Hogwarts had seen in years. Surely many of you agree?"

There were nods all around the table; Remus hadn't been possessed by Voldemort, full of pompous lies or an evil imposter like the others that Albus had employed in the past few years.

"Good, that's settled then, now to our most important issue. The Ministry of Magic has grown paranoid, disbelieving and plain rude recently, as many of you may have noticed. They have gone one step further in their paranoia however and have decided to appoint a ministry official to come to Hogwarts and supervise the way we teach."

There was a loud commotion amongst the table; no-one wanted the Ministry watching them, criticising them. Once again, the only silent ones at the table were Severus and Minerva, each in deep thought.

Suddenly Severus winced in pain, subtly grasping his left forearm. "I have to go check on Potter." He said to Albus, his eyes saying otherwise. Albus nodded and Severus left the room.

Minerva looked at Albus, her face grave. "Who is the Ministry official?" she asked.

The table fell silent and looked toward the headmaster, waiting for his reply.

"Some of you may know her already." Albus stated, "She is Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."

The table fell even more silent, if that was possible, they had heard of Umbridge, her reputation for being cruel, sly and cunning, they had heard that she was a true bitch. Dolores Umbridge was the worst person to be watching them.

"Now, that is all that I had wished to announce tonight, there will be another meeting in time regarding the curriculum but for now meeting adjourned." Albus stated, he sat and watched as the staff filed out leaving only Minerva and himself behind.

Minerva shook her head, "Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts? I assume this is why you wish to hold a meeting tonight?"

Albus nodded, "Send the message out to the others please." He said wearily, "and we may not be seeing Severus until late."

Minerva nodded, "I gathered as much. Farewell then Albus." And with that she transformed into a cat and walked out of the room.

Albus sighed, sometimes he wished that he was an animagus, he would love to simply transform into an animal and escape right now, free with no worries in the world. But instead he had an inevitable war to prepare for, and a corrupt minister to keep off his back.

oOo

Severus apparated into the dark clearing which was currently full of Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord himself of course. Severus was the last one to arrive as usual, but at least he had an excuse.

"Severus, how nice of you to join us." the Dark Lord greeted, a cold smile upon his snakelike face.

"My lord." Severus replied, kneeling at the Dark Lord's feet.

"You are late Severus." The Dark Lord said in a tone of mock dissapointment.

"I apologise my lord, I was at a staff meeting." Severus replied, obviously the Dark Lord knew he had information and wished for him to share it.

"And what did you learn at this meeting?"

Severus already knew which information he was allowed to divulge, and which information he wasn't. "Hagrid has run off to Romania to admire some dragons, leaving Professsor Grubbly-Plank to temporarily fill his position. Remus Lupin will be once again teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. The ministry is sending Dolores Umbridge to watch over the school, and Harry Potter will be staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer. "

The ark Lord was silent for a moment, in thought. "The werewolf teaching at Hogwarts will surely cause chaos amongst concerned parents." He stated in a slightly pleased tone, "As will Umbridge spying for the Ministry. I am disappointed that you did not alert us to this development sooner Severus or we might have been able to place someone more sympathetic to our cause inside Hogwarts. Although from what I've heard Umbridge would be easily persuaded to join us, her true calling lies in the Dark Arts."

There were a few chuckles amongst the circle of Death Eaters at that last comment. Umbridge had a wide reputation for seeming sweet on the outside but actually being rather manipulative and employing some controversial practices.

"Now, the situation with Harry Potter is rather advantageous for us. He will be much easier to reach whilst not surrounded by blood wards..." The Dark Lord paused for a moment to think. "Severus, you shall befriend Harry Potter."

Severus was shocked, "I am afraid I must have heard you wrong my lord, you wish for me to befriend the Potter boy?"

There were a few laughs amongst the circle at Severus' shocked state.

The Dark Lord smiled coldly "You heard me right Severus, you shall befriend the boy, become his mentor, a father figure even. Then at the right time you shall lead the boy to the prophecy so that he can retrieve it and bring it to me."

"But master, do you not want the honour of retrieving the prophecy yourself?" Severus could not become the boy's mentor, he could not lead him to the prophecy, and he definitely would not be a father figure to the spawn of James Potter.

The Dark Lord's face twisted into a cold smile once again, he sensed Severus' true reasons for not wanting to befriend the boy. "It is much too dangerous for me to retrieve the prophecy, surely you know that Severus? Besides, you really must get over your hatred for the boy's father; you did love his mother after all. In fact, I recall you asking, no, begging for me to spare her life."

There were chuckles and wolf whistles amongst the circle of Death Eaters at that last statement.

Severus sighed internally "I will do as you wish my lord."

"Very good Severus. Now, I am afraid that I really must punish you for being _so_ late to our meeting yet again." The Dark Lord said mockingly, raising his wand. _"Crucio!"_

Severus began to scream as he was tortured by the spell, and far away in the Hogwarts hospital wing Harry Potter once again screamed with him, except Harry did not wake up this time.

oOo

**A/N: **_Ooh, how much did Harry see? *cue dramatic music*_

_Please read and review, whether you liked it or not, and have a sherbet lemon! *hands virtual sherbet lemons out*_

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo _


	7. The Boy Who Didn't Wake

**A/N:** _So I passed my driving testy thing today and got my Provisional driver's license, so I'm now slightly awesome and mucho happy :D  
>Thanks for the reviews, they're so fun to read.<br>Jordina, you're right, squibs don't have wands. Toby's isn't a real wand, it's just a stick that he carries around and pretends it's a wand because he really wishes that he could be a wizard. Dudley didn't realize that of course so the wand does work in a way :D  
>I do not own Harry Potter or any associated content, I do not make money from this, please don't send me to Azkaban (they serve terrible food).<br>Now I'll be quiet and you can all enjoy  
><em>

oOo

The members of the Order were gathered around the usual long dining table at 12 Grimmauld Place, waiting for Dumbledore to begin the meeting. The only ones who knew why the meeting was being held were Minerva McGonagall, Sirius Black (who had been told after asking Minerva how important the meeting was and whether he could miss it to stay with Harry) and Albus Dumbledore himself. The rest of the Order of the Phoenix were quietly speculating amongst themselves about the contents of the meeting, the general consensus being that there must have been some sort of development regarding the prophecy. However, they were about to be proven very wrong.

Albus looked around the table checking attendance; the only people missing were Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid and Severus Snape. Remus wasn't able to come as it was the full moon that night (which was also why he wasn't at the staff meeting earlier), Hagrid was on a mission for Albus to make contact with the giants (but Albus had informed everyone outside the Order that he was on a trip to Romania) and Severus was currently at a Death Eater meeting, which he would hopefully come back from before the Order meeting was over.

After confirming that everyone was there who should be there, Albus subtly cleared his throat and began to speak. "I am sure that many of you have been wondering why you are here tonight, and why this meeting is so urgent." He paused and looked around at all of the faces around the table. The Weasleys would be most affected by this news as it would potentially put their children in danger; however the threat extended to all of them, as it showed the Ministry's current state of paranoia and intrusiveness.

"And I will not keep you in suspense for any longer." Albus continued, "You will definitely have realized that in recent times the Ministry of Magic has grown increasingly paranoid as they grow deeper in denial regarding the return of Lord Voldemort." Albus ignored the gasps that resulted from his use of the forbidden name. "In recent times they have resulted to using the Daily Prophet to spread slanderous stories about Mr. Potter and myself and create speculation as to where our loyalties truly lie."

There were negative comments around the table at this last statement as everyone remembered the stories the Daily Prophet (and indirectly the Ministry) had spread. They had tried to portray Harry as the true murderer of Cedric Diggory, and Albus as a scheming senile old coot who was trying to steal control of the Ministry of Magic from Cornelius Fudge.

After the comments had stopped Albus began talking again, "As a new result of this paranoia, the Ministry of Magic seems to have some concerns about the way that we teach at Hogwarts and so have decided to closely monitor our curriculum, and the way that we share knowledge with the students at Hogwarts. They will be monitoring us via a carefully appointed Ministry official who will be staying at Hogwarts for the next year to supervise the school."

The table burst into a frenzy of comments.

"I don't want my children being spied upon." Molly Weasley stated firmly, she was outraged.

"They have no right to do this; don't they need some sort of warrant?" Her husband agreed.

"Who are they sending anyway?" Tonks asked, "I didn't think the Ministry had a department for education."

"The real question is, why do they feel the need to do this?" Sirius asked, "Denying Voldemort's existence is one thing, but spying upon Hogwarts?" He glared at those who gasped when he mentioned the name. "The whole thing is absurd."

Albus raised a hand and the noisy table fell into silence. "You are right Mr. Weasley." He began calmly, "The Ministry would usually require a warrant to be investigating the school. However, as it is a direct proclamation from the Minister, the investigation apparently does not require any sort of permission. Furthermore, Cornelius has definitely been known to break or change rules for his benefit."

There were a few comments around the table but they stopped as Albus spoke again.

"As to why they feel the need to observe our teachings, Cornelius believes that I am creating some sort of army out of the students at Hogwarts. He believes that I will then use this army to rise up against him and take over his position as Minister of Magic."

"That's absurd! School children taking over the Ministry? Fudge is madder than I am!" Alastor exclaimed.

There were more comments from the table before Albus once again raised his hand for silence.

"Now to your question Miss Tonks." Albus stated, remembering her dislike for her given name. "The Minister for Magic himself has handpicked his own Senior Undersecretary to send to the school, she has only recently obtained the position so some of you may know her better as Dolores Umbridge."

This statement sent the table into chaos, many of the members had heard of Umbridge, and those who hadn't were quickly informed about whom she was and what she was like.

"Surely you can overrule this decision Albus." Sirius almost had to shout over the voices of the table. "I mean, it's your school after all, and jumping from paranoia about Voldemort to this-"He stopped mid-sentence as many people gasped once again at the use of the 'cursed' name.

"Oh honestly!" he cried as he stood from his chair, "What's wrong with the name Voldemort?" Sirius was tired and concerned and stressed and he couldn't put up with it anymore. "It's not cursed; Voldemort will not come and eat you if you say it!"

Albus was grinning, the twinkle back in his eyes after the morbid nature of the news he had just shared. He wasn't the only one smiling either, Minerva and Tonks were almost laughing at the hilarity of Sirius' outburst, even Arthur was smiling though the concern for his children still lingered upon his face. The rest were torn between confusion and shock.

"I could say it all day and nothing would happen! Voldemort! Voldemort! Bloody Voldemort! Nothing is going to-"

He was cut off by screams coming from the corridor that led from the front door. He whipped out his wand as the screams were swiftly silenced and a dark figure entered the room.

oOo

_Harry was in a dark clearing dominated by equally dark figures, it was another Death Eater meeting, and once again Severus was in the middle of the circle, kneeling in Voldemort's presence._

"_-befriend Harry Potter. "Harry managed to catch Voldemort say, it looked like he was giving Snape an order. Harry was confused, why would Voldemort want Snape to befriend him? Snape hated him, he hated Snape, what would be the point of them becoming friends?_

_Harry watched as Snape seemed to disagree with what Voldemort had ordered him to do, before finally giving in. The world grew darker and Harry thought that the dream was going to end, but it wasn't over yet. He watched as Voldemort yelled a curse at Snape, then felt an incredible pain coursing throughout his body. _

_Harry waited to wake up, this had happened to him before and last time he had woken up. The pain was so intense that he felt that it must wake him up or else he would explode. He began to black out, fade out of the scenario._

_He didn't wake up._

oOo

"Well Sirius, I'm barely inside the door and you're already trying to curse me." Severus said in a low, silky, dangerous tone.

Sirius just stared at Severus with a startled, wide-eyed expression on his face. "I'm sorry; I thought you were someone else." He said, returning to his seat as many of the Order members stifled their laughter.

Severus frowned; he had managed to leave the Death Eater meeting after being cursed by the Dark Lord but it seemed as though he need not have hurried to this meeting as it was currently rather trivial.

Albus smiled at Severus, "Sirius was just demonstrating the innocence of saying Tom Riddle's appointed name and appears to have conjured you in the process. Now that you're here you should take a seat, I'm sure you will have much to share with us." He gestured towards the seat at his right, opposite Sirius once again.

Severus sighed internally before reluctantly sitting at the indicated place. "I do have some news Albus." He said, it had been a rather uneventful meeting information-wise but Albus would want to know about the prophecy.

"Do tell us Severus." Albus prompted, the younger man looked incredibly tired and had clearly been cursed again. Albus worried about him sometimes, but he also hoped that Harry hadn't seen this meeting like he had the other one.

"The Dark Lord plans to use Harry to retrieve the prophecy and give it to him."

Albus frowned slightly; he had hoped that Harry wouldn't get too involved with this. "How does he plan on doing that?"

"He wants me to convince him to go to the Hall of Prophecies, to guide him there." Severus replied.

"He's mad, that will never work; Harry would never listen to you." Sirius exclaimed.

"For all of our sakes, I hope you are right." Severus replied, for once he actually agreed with the mutt.

Albus sat and thought for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face, "Well Severus you should not disappoint your lord." He stated, "Meeting adjourned.

The Order members gave each other and Albus confused glances before just accepting it and leaving, they knew that Albus could have some strange ideas sometimes and that whatever happened usually worked out for them.

Severus and Sirius on the other hand just sat and stared at Albus, seriously questioning his sanity.

oOo

**A/N:** _Thanks for reading, please review, you're all awesome._

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	8. The Boy Who Woke

**A/N: **_Sorry to keep you guys waiting but it was the first week back at school, and it was a busy one. Thanks for all the reviews, and for just reading my story. I do not own Harry Potter, never have, never will. With all that said, enjoy the chapter :D_

oOo

Lucius looked up from his ornate writing desk, where he had been composing a letter to the Minister regarding his pleasure at hearing Dolores' placement as the High Inquisitor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The appointment of Dolores had been announced in the Daily Prophet that day and, true to the Ministry, the Prophet gave Dolores much praise.

Lucius thought he had heard a noise, the slightest sound, almost like an annoyed huff. His eyes scanned the portraits that adorned the walls of his well decorated study, looking for something out of place. He noticed that the ornate frame of one of the larger portraits, which was normally empty, was now filled.

The portrait did not mean much to Lucius however it meant a lot to his wife, Narcissa, so he kept it hanging in his study to please her, even if the frame was empty most of the time. The frame was made of pure silver and was finely crafted with many superfluous swirls and leaf designs. The portrait itself was rather plain, just a woman sitting in a deep red armchair. It was a simple piece, but it was the stern looking woman inside the portrait that made it so valuable to Narcissa. The woman inside the portrait was Walburga Black, her aunt.

"Good evening Lucius." The woman said in a haughty tone. Lucius had gotten along rather well with her while she was alive; they had shared a common interest in the Dark Arts and were both true aristocrats and devoted to the Ministry. However the woman still thought herself much more superior, even if the Black and Malfoy families were equal in prestige.

"God evening Walburga, how are you this fine night?" Lucius replied in his most pleasing tone.

"I would be better if my traitor of a son bothered to dust once in a while." Walburga replied, irritated. "And if my home wasn't being constantly invaded by a host of conspirators."

"I do apologise for your discomfort, you are welcome to return to your portrait here whenever you wish." Lucius tried to please the woman, hoping that she had some information about the Order of the Phoenix. Walburga couldn't hear anything of the meetings but she did get a sense of what was going on sometimes, and she could still tell who was coming through the front door.

"Very well, the reason that I have come to see you is because I have seen some very strange behaviour from your friend Severus Snape."

"Really?" Lucius and Severus had a somewhat awkward relationship; they had been good friends for years, with Severus being named as Draco's godson, however after the war and the Dark Lord's demise they had drifted apart. They were now civil and still on good terms, but their friendship was nowhere near what it had been.

"Yes, a few nights ago there was another meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. As usual, Severus was there, however he seemed in a hurry after what I assume was one of the Dark Lord's meetings as he was still wearing his Death Eater robes."

"That is most strange indeed." Lucius stated, the robes that one had to wear as a member of the Dark Lord's inner circle were rather distinctive, with a certain style and charms woven into them to cause a sense of despair and fear upon those who did not bear the Dark Mark. Anyone in the Order would recognise them straight away. "Who was at this meeting?"

"The entire Order I believe, it was a meeting of some importance."

Lucius frowned and fought the urge to pace in his study; it would look most unprofessional if he did. "So the entire Order of the Phoenix has seen Severus in his Death Eater robes and he hasn't been kicked out?"

Walburga nodded then froze, her attention directed elsewhere. "I must leave now Lucius, Kreacher is looking for me."

Lucius didn't understand her fascination with that house elf, but he bid her good day none the less. He was confused by Severus' actions; did this mean that he wasn't a true spy for the Dark Lord? Was he a traitor? Lucius did sympathise with his old friend though, sometimes he wished he could quit being a Death Eater for the sake of his family.

Lucius sighed, he didn't really want to dob Severus in, but he didn't want to face the wrath of the Dark Lord either. He decided to wait, to gather more evidence. After all, Walburga's portrait was very dusty and her eyesight wasn't that spectacular, maybe she was mistaken in believing that Severus' robes were Death Eater ones.

oOo

Hagrid struggled to climb up the steep, frozen rocky slope. He began to regret accepting the mission from Dumbledore. Albus had asked him to go find the giants, to meet with them and offer a truce. They could not afford to have the giants against them in the war that was bound to happen, so it was best to recruit them before You-Know-Who had a chance.

Hagrid finally heaved himself over the edge of the rock face, panting with the effort. He straightened himself, brushing snow and dirt off of his clothes before looking up and finding himself facing a large, fleshy object in the shape of a tree trunk.

He looked up and gasped to see a massive face peering down at him.

He had found the giants.

oOo

_Harry was walking down a long, seemingly endless corridor; it was completely empty except for him, and incredibly dark. When he finally reached the end there was a door. He opened it and found himself in a very large room filled with rows upon rows of shelves. It was almost like a library, except it was a lot darker, the only light coming from the many orbs that sat upon the shelves._

_Harry kept on walking, heading down one of the many aisles, his steps grew more purposeful, more urgent until finally he broke out into a run. He stopped suddenly next to one of the shelves. He looked up at one of the orbs, reaching out to it and struggling to read the inscription upon its stand._

_He had nearly reached it when the room began to fade into nothing._

Harry woke to find himself in a blurry, softly lit room. He reached for his glasses and, upon putting them on, realised that he was in the hospital wing. He looked around and saw his godfather slumped in a chair to his left. He smiled and was about to wake him but was interrupted by a voice approaching his bed.

"Now that you are awake Potter, you can drink this." Snape said, handing him a vial filled with a murky looking potion.

Harry took the potion from him and drank it, grimacing at the bitter taste that filled his mouth.

"Now you can go back to sleep." Snape said, turning and heading for the door.

"But I'm not tired." Harry replied, his voice was hoarse after not speaking for so long.

Snape turned and held out another potion. "Drink this then."

"But I've slept for ages." Harry replied, refusing to accept what he assumed was Dreamless Sleep potion. He wanted to talk to his godfather, and was tired of sleeping.

Severus frowned, why did the boy have to be so difficult? "Traditionally one sleeps at night Potter, especially if they've recently undergone serious injury."

Harry sighed; as much as he loathed agreeing with Snape, the man was right; he did feel very stiff and sore. He accepted the potion and drank it in one gulp, once again grimacing at the awful taste. Why couldn't potions be sweetened or something? He vowed to find out.

Severus once again turned to leave.

"Professor." Harry called.

Snape turned slowly to face him, annoyed with the boy for wasting his time.

"Thanks for saving me." Harry said, his eyelids beginning to droop as he drifted into sleep.

Severus merely nodded before leaving the room. Potter was really going to regret thanking him once he found out what the rest of his summer would entail. He walked out the door into the dark passageway, heading towards the headmaster's office. He had to discuss Potter's training, and he might as well tell Albus that Harry was now awake and they could begin soon.

Severus suppressed a shudder; he would rather be cursed by the Dark Lord than train Potter in Occlumency. Being cursed would be a lot safer for his mental health.

oOo

**A/N:** _Please review, I hope to update chapters weekly now that I'm back at school.  
><em>_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	9. The Boy Who Required Training

**A/N: **_This one's a little late because____I've been re-reading the books, I'd forgotten how cheerful Dumbledore can be sometimes.  
>Thanks for the reviews, they make me happy.<br>I do not own Harry Potter, JK does.  
>Have fun :D<em>

oOo

Sirius was rudely banished from the land of dreams by an insistent poking in his ribs. He groaned and swatted at whatever was poking him, which prompted a very familiar childlike laugh from the invisible source of torture. He sat upright, remembering why he was there and whose laughter that was likely to be, "Harry!"

Harry smiled at his godfather, happy for the first time in ages. Everything was going to be ok now that he was with Sirius. He gasped a little as Sirius pulled him into a crushing hug; he was still a bit sore from his wounds.

Sirius heard the gasp and released him, frowning as he looked down at his young godson, staring into those familiar green eyes that were trying in vain to hide the hurt. "Harry, about the Dursleys-" He began.

"Can we not talk about them?" Harry cut in, "let's just pretend that they don't exist." He just wanted to be with his godfather now, he didn't want the moment ruined by his evil relatives (well, his evil uncle at least).

Sirius nodded, understanding what Harry was feeling and why he didn't want to talk about his relatives. "We'll have to discuss them at some point though." As much as he wanted his godson to be happy, it was better for Harry's mental health if they talked about it.

Harry nodded. "So, what have you been up to lately?" he asked, changing the subject.

Sirius smiled and began to recount his tales since the last time he had seen Harry. For now everything was perfect, but it couldn't stay that way forever, and soon it was going to change.

oOo

Draco answered the door of Malfoy Manor to see a dark haired pug faced girl of around his age standing in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked, surprised at her appearance.

"That's a great way to greet your girlfriend." Pansy Parkinson replied sarcastically. She smiled at Draco's guilty expression. "Just joking." She gripped Draco in a tight hug.

Draco sighed internally, maybe now wasn't a good time to tell her that he thought they should stop seeing each other. "I apologise, it is great to see you again. I was merely surprised as I had no news of your arrival." he said, adopting a more formal manner.

Pansy beamed at him "Well I was in the area and decided to drop by." she said innocently.

Draco doubted what she said; knowing her she would have spent ages planning every last detail. "Well, do come in." he said, leading her inside. They sat in the sitting room and began to discuss recent events.

Draco was thankful that his father was not home, Lucius greatly approved of Draco and Pansy as a couple and delighted in discussing their future together, it had made things particularly hard for Draco recently as he looked for a way to gently break up with Pansy.

"So are you still getting the Mark this summer?" Pansy asked excitedly

Draco thought for a moment before replying. He had bragged to everyone about joining the Dark Lord, how he was going to be the youngest recruit ever and definitely the most faithful. Perhaps he would even become the Dark Lord's heir...

However the truth was that he was scared of joining the Dark Lord, Draco wasn't sure what it would be like to be a Death Eater. His father made it out to be the best thing ever, but Draco didn't know whether he would like it, he wasn't sure that he would be able to hurt people like that. He wasn't sure that he could kill. "Maybe," he replied. "I don't know yet, Father thinks it might be too dangerous."

Pansy frowned, "You seem so unenthusiastic Draco! I would leap at a chance to join the Dark Lord."

Draco felt like telling her to go do it then but instead he just shrugged. "I am excited," he replied, "It's just that a lot of people have died before..."

"Don't worry." Pansy said, accepting his excuse, "You'll be great." She drew Draco into her embrace.

Draco sighed, he hoped so.

oOo

Albus Dumbledore entered the hospital wing to find Harry and Sirius laughing at a joke. He beamed at them, pleased to see the men so happy. "I hear you are feeling better now Harry." he said to the boy.

"Yeah sir loads." Harry replied, a large smile still on his face.

"Excellent," Albus replied, "Sirius do you mind if Harry and I have a chat by ourselves?"

"Not at all Albus." Sirius replied, standing, "I'll see you soon Harry." And he left the hospital wing.

Harry waved goodbye then turned to face the headmaster who had taken a seat on his right.

"Did you sleep well Harry?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Yes," Harry replied, "Well...Kinda..."

Dumbledore gave him a questioning look, "Only kind of?"

"Well, you see..." Harry explained his strange, vision-like dream to the headmaster.

The headmaster paid close attention to Harry's tale and at the end was nodding to himself. "Yes, that was one of the things that I wished to discuss with you Harry."

"Really?" Harry replied, how did Dumbledore know about his dreams already?

The headmaster nodded, "Sirius told me about the dream that you had whilst staying with your relatives."

"Oh." Harry hadn't expected Sirius to tell Dumbledore, but he was sort of glad that he had. "Do you know what's causing these dreams?"

"Well, I believe I do have an idea." Dumbledore replied. "You see, when Lord Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a baby and his curse backfired, I believe that he created a sort of connection, a link between your minds. I also believe that if the connection between the two of you grows any stronger, as it has been doing so ever since Voldemort returned to power, he may be able to enter your mind completely."

"Do you mean he could possess me?" Harry asked with a shocked expression on his face.

"Yes, if he became aware of the strength of this connection he could enter your mind, access all of your most private thoughts and memories, and exploit them. He could manipulate them, control your entire mind, and take you over completely. But I do not intend to let him do that Harry."

"How can I stop him then? How am I meant to keep him out of my mind? Is it even possible?" Harry was beginning to panic.

"There is a way." Dumbledore replied, smiling comfortingly at Harry. "However it is extremely difficult, well beyond the scope of a fifth year. It will take a lot of time, dedication, and will most likely not be fun at all." He said this with the usual twinkle in his eye, like he was hiding something.

Harry thought about what he had said for a moment, surely it couldn't be too bad as he had previously mastered charms that were well outside of his year level (the Patronus charm for example), but Dumbledore usually didn't exaggerate these things… But he needed to protect himself, and everyone around him, from Voldemort.

Harry nodded "I'll do it."

Dumbledore beamed "Excellent. I'll have a chat with Madam Pomfrey and with any luck you'll be able to get out of here tomorrow, and your training can begin."

Harry smiled, he was eager to get out of the hospital wing; he had been in there way too often throughout his schooling career. "Great!"

"Which leads me to the other thing that I wished to discuss with you." Dumbledore stated. "I have permanently removed you from the guardianship of Petunia and Vernon Dursley; as such your sole guardian is now Sirius Black."

Harry beamed at this. "Does that mean that I will be able to live with him now?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, "However for the rest of the summer you will be staying at Hogwarts, partly to facilitate your training but also because it is safer for you."

Harry nodded; at least he would get his assignments done more quickly with the large library to help him.

Dumbledore sighed and his expression turned grave. "Harry, I cannot express enough how deeply sorry I am for leaving you with the Dursleys in such a situation. If I had known…"

"You don't need to apologise Professor." Harry replied.

Dumbledore looked down at the floor, internally berating himself. "Yes I do. I should have realised that they would feel a certain way towards you." He looked up into Harry's eyes. "You had no right to be treated like that by members of your family, your own blood, I hope you understand that."

Harry looked away uncomfortably; he didn't want to talk about this. "Yeah, I understand."

Dumbledore continued to stare at Harry for a while, looking for something, before standing, "Goodbye then Harry." He said, turning towards Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Wait," Harry said, "One more thing."

Dumbledore turned back to face him. "Yes?"

"Is Snape really a Death Eater?"

"_Professor _Snape is very trustworthy Harry, he is the one who brought you back from Privet Drive and saved your life." Dumbledore smiled at the bemused expression on Harry's face and waved goodbye before walking over to Madam Pomfrey's office.

Harry was a bit put out that Dumbledore hadn't properly answered his question. But he supposed that Snape must have gone back to spying, and if Dumbledore trusted Snape then shouldn't Harry too? His thoughts drifted back to the dream, "_befriend Harry Potter." _He decided to be wary of Snape, no matter what Dumbledore said.

oOo

**A/N: **_I hope you enjoyed it, please review. There should be some Occlumency next chapter, if my brain runs on schedule._

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	10. The Boy Who Fought the Memories

**A/N: **_I would have uploaded this earlier but I had homework, and I saw an excellent play of Macbeth, and it's my birthday next week :D Thanks for the great reviews from last chapter, you should check out the other oneshot that I recently uploaded.  
>Harry Potter does not belong to me, it belongs to JK Rowling, and I get no money from this, blah blah blah.<br>Enjoy._

oOo

Severus was sitting in his favourite armchair by the fireplace in his quarters, reading the latest issue of the potions journal that he subscribed to when he was startled by the whooshing and emerald glow that signalled the arrival of someone travelling through the floo network. He looked up to see Albus Dumbledore silhouetted by his dark fireplace.

"Good evening Severus." The headmaster greeted warmly, "I hope that I did not interrupt you."

Severus had a feeling that he knew why the headmaster was there, and he felt like telling the headmaster to get lost. But he valued his job, and his life, so he just replied with "Good evening Albus."

Albus seated himself on the dark couch across from Severus, he really wished that the younger man would not furnish his quarters in such a dark manner, but he did appreciate the beauty of the way that it was done. The predominant colours in the room were a dark brown, a very deep emerald green, and black. The room still gave off an air of colour, even with all of the darkness.

"As you know, Harry Potter has woken." Albus stated, examining Severus' face.

"And?" Severus replied, his suspicions as to why Albus was there were confirmed.

"I mentioned the training to him; he consented and seemed quite eager to begin tomorrow."

Severus sighed; Albus had been conducting his manipulation again. "And how much did you tell him about the training?"

"Oh, just that it would help protect his mind, and that it would be rather difficult." Albus replied, feigning innocence.

Severus laughed bitterly, "He's going to regret agreeing to this training once he finds out who's teaching him."

Albus smiled, "Yes, I believe he too was under the impression that I would be conducting the training, you two really are very alike."

Severus scowled, "I am nothing like that brat; he is too much like his father."

Albus continued to smile at Severus, "So, are you agreeable with the commencement of Harry's training tomorrow?"

Severus sighed, "I suppose I have no choice, yes I agree."

"Excellent, I'll send him down tomorrow afternoon, in the meantime it is late, and we both need our rest."

"Good night Albus."

Albus activated the floo and stepped in, "Good night Severus." He said, before being whisked away into the emerald flames.

Severus gazed longingly at the abandoned potions journal on his coffee table before sighing and heading down to his private laboratory. He had Occlumency lessons to plan, and potions to brew. The journal, and his sleep, would have to wait for now.

oOo

Harry woke, then quickly sat upright and reached for his glasses, eager to leave the hospital wing. The only reminder of his uncle's cruel treatment was a dull, almost imperceptible ache in his limbs. As he grabbed his glasses, his hand hit a bit of parchment, he picked it up and began to read.

_Dear Harry, _

It began, in slanting narrow handwriting that he recognised as the headmaster's.

_Your training will begin after lunch in the Room of Requirement. The room can be found opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy on the seventh floor._

_Regards, Dumbledore_

Harry was eager for his training to begin, but also confused; he had never heard of this 'Room of Requirement' before, or seen it on the Marauders' Map. He shrugged, he would find out soon anyway, and leapt out of bed just in time for Madam Pomfrey to come out of her office and force him to take several potions.

A few minutes later, after warnings from Madam Pomfrey to take it easy and not exert himself, Harry was on the Quidditch pitch with his Firebolt, practicing risky moves and pulling them off flawlessly.

Harry knew Madam Pomfrey would kill him if she knew what he was doing, but flying was the only way that he could keep his mind free of the memories that were beginning to invade his mind. While he was flying he was in a trancelike state, the only thing that mattered was the wind whipping through his hair, the ground beneath him, and the clear blue sky. As such, he didn't realise how much time had passed until he heard a voice from the pitch.

"Hey, Harry! I've been looking all over for you!" His Godfather's voice interrupted his tranquil trancelike state.

Harry grinned and headed toward the ground, pulling a steep dive, and dismounting right in front of his godfather. "Hey Sirius." He grinned, embracing the older man.

Sirius smiled "You fly just as well as your father."

Harry stepped back and looked up at Sirius, "Really?"

"Yeah!" Sirius replied with a huge grin. "Why, I remember…" He recounted memories of James' career as a Chaser as they headed back to the Great Hall for lunch.

After a delicious meal of shepherd's pie, and more tales of quidditch glory from his godfather (who didn't have to disguise himself as the great hall was empty), Harry excused himself to head off to his training. Harry was not at all surprised when Sirius mentioned that he had been discussing the training with Dumbledore, but was a little disappointed that his godfather could not come with him.

It did not take Harry very long to find the tapestry; he had passed it a few times in the past during his midnight wanderings and on the way to Divination classes. However when he reached the tapestry he was dismayed and confused to find that there was no door to be found anywhere near it.

Harry walked to the end of the corridor, checking that it wasn't further down, but there was nothing there. He walked back down to the other end of the corridor, but there was no door to be found that way either. He frowned; he needed the training room to appear. He decided to walk down to the far end of the corridor again to make sure the door wasn't disguised.

Having examined the wall and finding no trace of a hidden door he walked back towards the tapestry, he stopped however as he realised that a door had appeared directly opposite Barnabas the Barmy (and his trolls). He was puzzled as to how it appeared there, but greatly relieved as well, so he entered the room.

The room that he entered was large and spacious, the walls covered with bookshelves full of titles such as _Mental Defences_ and _The Barrier of the Mind_. As large and airy the room was it still had a sense of gloom about it, which was perhaps partially due to the man standing next to an ornately carved pensieve near the far end of the room.

"Mr Potter, you've finally made it." Severus Snape said almost mockingly, his face blank.

Harry frowned, why was Snape here? Shouldn't Dumbledore be teaching him? "Where's Professor Dumbledore?" He asked.

Severus gave a cynical smile, "I will be your teacher for these lessons."

"But I thought Dumbledore-"

"The headmaster is a very busy man Mr Potter." Snape interrupted sharply. "Now, shall we begin the lesson?"

Harry simply nodded in reply, now that Snape was the one teaching him he was dreading the lessons. He remembered his dream and what Voldemort had ordered Snape to do, was it even safe for Harry to be around Snape or was he going to be whisked off to see Voldemort at any moment? Although, he looked over at Snape who was placing strands of memories into the pensieve, Snape didn't seem like he wanted to become friends any time soon.

"Now Potter," Snape began, finishing with the pensieve and walking over to the centre of the room. "Have you heard of Occlumency?"

"No sir." Harry replied.

"Occlumency is the magical defence of the mind against external penetration; it is a way to shield your mind against Legilimency."

Harry opened his mouth to ask what Legilimency was, but he was cut off as Snape continued.

"Legilimency is the act of navigating through the layers of one's mind using magic, and interpreting the information that is found."

"So it's like mind reading then?"

"Muggles and uneducated people may refer to it as that, yes. And Potter, you must refer to me as 'sir' or 'professor' whilst in these lessons, is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, now, Occlumency and Legilimency are rare arts that may only be performed by highly powerful magic users, as such the Dark Lord is a Legilimens, and the headmaster is both a Legilimens and Occlumens."

"And you, professor?"

"I too am trained in both arts." Snape replied shortly, annoyed at the interruption. He then continued on with his speech. "Usually eye contact is necessary for Legilimency, however due to the mental connection between the Dark Lord and yourself, Voldemort can slip into your mind at anytime, anywhere, with ease. That is why you need to protect yourself against him."

Snape gestured towards the shelves on the walls, "These books all contain valuable information on Occlumency, between our lessons you will study them, and during our lessons I will attempt to invade your mind whilst you will attempt to apply Occlumency to keep me out. Do you have any questions?"

Harry shook his head.

"Good, now I want you to clear your mind of all thoughts and emotions."

Harry tried, but it was hard, he was wondering what was going to happen, and the memories kept on trying to intrude.

"_Legilimens!" _Snape shouted the incantation, startling Harry.

Harry saw the dementors, felt their chill, before the scene changed to Cedric's lifeless body, Voldemort cursing Snape, Vernon's large fist heading towards Harry.

Suddenly the visions disappeared and Harry once again saw Snape standing in front of him with a sneer.

"Did you even attempt to clear your mind Potter? You need to think of nothing, feel nothing. Try again." He gave Harry a moment to prepare before shouting _"Legilimens!"_

He was clutching Quirrell's arm, burning away at the flesh, he was underwater, straining to free Ron from the ropes, he was in a circle of Death Eaters, watching as Voldemort gave Snape orders.

Once again the visions disappeared to reveal Snape standing in front of him, wand raised. "You saw that?" Snape asked, the slightest hint of a frown visible on his otherwise blank face.

"Yeah, while I was…Sleeping…"

Snape merely nodded, "You will need to try a lot harder to clear your mind or the Dark Lord will have no trouble entering it, you must not wear your emotions on your sleeve as you Gryffindors so often do. You are dismissed for today, but you shall practice clearing your mind between our lessons, especially before you go to bed." He pulled a book from the shelf, "And read this."

Harry nodded and turned to leave, he was at the door when he was stopped by Snape's final statement.

"And Potter, I will know if you have not been practicing." Snape said, glaring at Harry.

Harry stared back at Snape, "Yes, professor." Then he turned and left, not looking forward to the next lesson.

oOo

**A/N: **_This one was a bit longer, but I wanted the Occlumency in it. I hope you liked it, please review _

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	11. The Boy Who Shopped

**A/N: **_Thanks for the reviews from last time, __CarelessAngel16, James Potter was actually meant to be a Chaser (and JK confirmed in an interview that he was a Chaser) but in the movies they changed him to a Seeker, probably to make him seem more like his father.  
>Sorry this chapter was a bit late but I had a party to go to last night (it was my birthday on Thursday) and I didn't get home until 1:45 and yeah.<br>Anyway, I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe, please don't kill me etc.  
>Enjoy.<em>

oOo

Harry walked back and forth in front of the blank stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, thinking to himself _I need the training room…I need the training room…I need the training room…_ after the third time he walked past the wall, a door appeared which he entered.

He had discovered how to get into the room on his second lesson, after waiting outside for nearly half an hour he had retraced his steps from that first lesson and discovered that the door appeared after one walked past the area 3 times concentrating on what they needed. Snape had been furious with him for being so late of course, but he felt pleased with himself for figuring it out nonetheless.

They had been having lessons twice a week, between these lessons Harry would spend his time flying with Sirius, who had been borrowing a school broom, doing his homework, reading up on Occlumency, and arguing with himself about whether or not he should reply to the owls that Ron and Hermione sent.

His friends really wanted to know what had happened, but Harry couldn't bring himself to tell them, he didn't want them to pity him. So he had simply replied with vague answers, avoiding describing the incident. He knew that he would have to tell them at some point, but he was trying to postpone that moment.

He had also managed to avoid talking to Sirius about it, his godfather did not want to hurt Harry by bringing it up, and recently hadn't been around that often anyway. He had been busy with the Order, and avoiding the teachers that had returned to the school as there was only just over a week left of the holidays.

Even though Harry had managed to avoid discussing with anyone the incident that happened over the holidays, he still could not remove the memory of it from his mind. He relived it in his sleep, when not having the occasional dream of Voldemort and dark corridors, and he was also forced to relive the memory during Occlumency lessons.

The Occlumency lessons hadn't been going very well for Harry, he never seemed to be able to clear his mind. He had grown quite sick of Snape's relentless taunting about how stupid he was, and how he was too emotional and just like his father. He really wasn't motivated to learn Occlumency, especially since he had not been having as many dreams of Voldemort. He had been reading as many books as he could to try and properly understand it, but it just wasn't working, he was really growing sick of the lessons.

On the bright side, Snape had definitely not been trying to befriend him, as evidenced by the insults that he was now throwing at Harry after breaking into his mind for the umpteenth time that lesson.

"Have you been practicing at all Potter? What don't you get about clearing your mind? I would have thought it would be easy for you since your mind is so frequently blank."

Harry got up to his feet, "Well it would help if you'd actually teach me how to do this instead of just yelling at me to clear my mind! It would help if I knew how to clear my mind, or what clearing my mind was meant to achieve, or something!"

Snape sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "Clearing your mind is the most basic form of Occlumency, you need to clear your mind so that Voldemort will not be able to read your thoughts and emotions. To clear your mind, just think of nothing, like you usually do in Potions lessons, and feel nothing." Snape explained slowly, he couldn't resist throwing a jibe in. "Is that clear?"

Harry nodded. He wanted to know more but sensed that Snape would explode if he did.

"You are dismissed for today." A scowl appeared on his face as he made his next statement, "The headmaster wished me to inform you that I will be escorting you to Diagon Alley tomorrow to shop for your school supplies."

Harry's jaw dropped in shock, "But professor, wouldn't it seem weird if we were shopping together? No-one knows that I'm staying at Hogwarts except for the teachers."

Snape gave a slight smirk at the expression on Harry's face, "Don't worry Potter, we will be meeting up with the Weasleys, I will merely be escorting you there, and acting as a guard."

"Why do I need a guard?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Have you forgotten what happened last summer Potter?" Snape snapped, "There have been a few Death Eater raids, it would not be safe for you to go without a guard."

"You would know a lot about the raids." Harry muttered under his breath, hurrying out of the room at Snape's evil glare.

Harry sighed as he headed out of the room, he was still reluctant to see the Weasleys and Hermione, and now Snape was going to be following them around all day. The shopping trip didn't seem fun at all.

Darkness had crept over the castle whilst Harry and Snape were training, Harry headed to his bed in Gryffindor Tower. He lay in bed, trying to clear his mind, but he was too worried about the trip to Diagon Alley.

He did not sleep well that night.

oOo

The next morning found Snape and Harry waiting inside Diagon Alley, just near the entrance, for the Weasleys. The Weasleys were meant to have arrived 10 minutes ago, and Snape was becoming rather impatient. Harry ignored the man's rude mutterings, taking the time to practice clearing his mind (which wasn't working very well).

At last a large group of red-heads came through the entrance, and Harry was attacked by a bushy haired girl who flung herself at him.

"Oh Harry," Hermione Granger said in his ear, "We've been so worried about you."

"There's no need to worry." Harry said, extricating himself from her grip before he was then grasped by Mrs. Weasley and pulled into another firm hug.

"We wish that you could have stayed with us, but Dumbledore thought it was better if you spent the rest of the summer at Hogwarts." Mrs. Weasley said, a concerned note in her voice. "Right then." She stated, releasing Harry. "Who needs to go where?"

Harry didn't need to go to Gringott's as money had already been withdrawn for him, he and Ron both needed to go to Eeylop's Owl Emporium though, and he, Ron and Hermione needed to go to the Apothecary to restock their Potion's ingredients. Fred and George both needed new robes, and they all needed to go to Flourish and Blott's.

"Ok," Mrs. Weasley stated, "Arthur and I will take Fred, George and Ginny to Madam Malkin's while Severus can take Harry, Ron and Hermione to the Apothecary and Owl Emporium, and wherever else you need to go. We'll meet back at Flourish and Blotts."

Harry groaned at the idea of being stuck with Snape all day, but walked off with Ron and Hermione anyway.

"So, how has it been, staying at the castle?" Ron asked, as they followed Snape down the busy street.

"Pretty boring, I haven't had much to do apart from homework and flying with Sirius." He didn't mention the Occlumency lessons, Snape had told him to pretend that he was taking remedial potions but Harry planned on telling Ron and Hermione the truth when Snape wasn't around. "How have your summers been?"

"Interesting," Hermione replied, "We've been staying at Sirius' house."

"Sirius' house? why have you been staying there?"

Ron began to reply but stopped as Hermione shushed him and looked meaningfully at Snape, who was leading them into the Apothecary.

When they entered the Apothecary Snape headed off to check out some of the rarer ingredients whilst Harry, Hermione and Ron collected their school supplies.

Hermione looked around to check that they couldn't be overheard before replying to Harry's question. "Because Sirius' house is headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix."

"The what?" Harry asked.

"The Order of the Phoenix, it's a sort of secret vigilante group led by Dumbledore. They fought You-Know-Who last time and they've reformed to do it again."

"Who is in this Order?"

"We haven't met everyone yet," Ron replied, "But so far we know McGonagall, Dumbledore, Sirius, Professor Lupin, Mum, Dad, Bill, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher and Tonks- you wouldn't know them- Hagrid, Mad-Eye Moody and Snape. We think there are over 20 people.

"Snape's in the Order?"

"Yeah, he's still a foul git though."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, looking around to check that Snape hadn't heard them.

"It's true though, you-"

Ron's statement was interrupted as a series of loud bangs echoed through the air, coming from outside the shop. They turned toward the window, trying to find out where the bangs came from, but they were stopped as a flurry of black robes obscured their vision. Ron, Harry and Hermione felt the familiar tug of a portkey, whisking them off to places unknown.

oOo

**A/N: **_Ooh, the mysterious portkey.  
>Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and please review.<em>

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	12. The Boy Who Failed

**A/N: **_I got into Pottermore! Yay! Hence why this chapter is a little late :P it is a very beautiful site though, the art is simply amazing.  
>Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and I do not own the Harry Potter universe no matter how much I wish :D<br>Enjoy._

oOo

Hagrid and Madam Maxime watched from their giant-made prison as the Death Eaters feasted with the ones who had held them hostage.

"I'm sorry you 'ad to go through this Olympe." Hagrid said dolefully, he knew that Olympe could look after herself but he still felt responsible for their predicament.

"Do not worry about eet." Olympe replied in her thick accent. "Zere was nothing we could 'ave done, we will just 'ave to escape and look for some more giant rebels or something."

The mission had not been going well at all, they had found the giants but were locked away almost instantly thanks to the intervention of some Death Eaters who had been cooperating with the giants for some time. The Death Eaters had led the giants to believe that Hagrid and Madam Maxime were dangerous and would harm them.

Dumbledore had sent them on a mission to locate the giants and to extend the hand of friendship to them. They had all experienced the devastation that the giants had caused when they were allied with You-Know-Who in the last war, and Dumbledore wanted the giants as their allies before the Death Eaters had a chance to convince them otherwise.

But they were too late; the Death Eaters had been conversing with the giants for weeks, offering them land, protection, anything they could ever want, if they joined You-Know Who in the upcoming war.

Hagrid sighed and poked his pink umbrella at the dwindling fire in front of them, relighting it and casting their flickering shadows upon the walls of the cave, and the backs of the enormous giants whose rumbling snores echoed throughout their prison. One good thing about being imprisoned was that they had made contact with a few giants who had also been cast out and who liked the idea of joining Dumbledore. Hagrid and Madam Maxime had been planning their escape, and when they did the monstrous beings would be joining them.

Hopefully it would give them some chance in the eventual war.

oOo

As soon as they landed Harry Ron and Hermione turned to face their unseen assailant, whipping their wands out as they did so. They stopped however as they saw a very familiar dark figure standing in front of them with the slightest hint of an amused smirk on his face.

"Oh, sorry Professor." Hermione said apologetically, lowering her wand. Slowly and hesitantly the boys followed her suit.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, looking around the rather small, sparsely furnished yet neat house that they found themselves in.

"It's a safe house" Snape replied distractedly, his mind elsewhere as he seemed to be waiting for something.

"A safe house for the Order?" Ron asked.

Snape glared at him "N-" he began to reply but was cut off by a scream from Harry who was bent over clutching his forehead. "Block him out." Snape ordered Harry, to the bemusement of Ron and Hermione.

Harry tried to block him, tried to close his mind and think of nothing but it was no use. He was too worried about his friends to feel nothing and Voldemort broke through his shield with little resistance.

_Harry was travelling down the dark passage again, entering a round room with many doors, choosing the door directly opposite him, entering a room with many time turners in a cabinet, heading through another door, in a dark room filled with the glow of thousands of small spheres, heading down a row, looking up, reaching for a sphere that had his name on the label..._

The vision disappeared and Harry looked up from his position on the floor where he must have fallen during the vision. Snape was glaring at him disapprovingly while Ron and Hermione look confused and concerned.

The awkward moment was ended as a transparent, ghost-like weasel appeared in the room; Harry recognized it as a patronus but didn't know whose it was. He soon found out as it opened its mouth and spoke to them in Arthur Weasley's voice.

"We are safe," it said, "The Death Eaters have left Diagon Alley but it would be wise to not return." The weasel then faded into thin air.

"Well now that Potter has betrayed us to the Dark Lord, we might as well head to the castle." Snape sated, lighting the fireplace and gesturing for them to floo to Hogwarts. They did so, one at a time, Harry avoiding Snape's deadly glare and dreading the next Occlumency lesson.

As Harry flooed away to Hogwarts, he couldn't help but think that the Death Eaters invading Diagon Alley had something to do with the orb that he had seen in his vision.

oOo

_**Mass Breakout From Azkaban**_

_Late yesterday morning there was a breakout from the wizarding jail Azkaban, ten prisoners escaped during this breakout, all so called Death Eaters, followers of You-Know-Who, and all very dangerous. The Death Eaters then converged on Diagon Alley, causing confusion and chaos amongst civilians, many of whom were shopping for school supplies. Some of the escapees include_ _Antonin Dolohov__, __Augustus Rookwood__, __Bellatrix Lestrange__, __Rodolphus Lestrange__ and Rabastan Lestrange..._

"But we still don't know why they were in Diagon Alley!" Hermione exclaimed, setting the paper back down on the table.

"It probably has something to do with me." Harry stated.

"Or they might have just wanted some fun; I mean it would be rather boring locked up in Azkaban for years." Ron said through a mouthful of food.

Ron and Hermione had spent the night at Hogwarts after the incident at Diagon Alley the previous day; they would be staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the holidays. Hermione was pleased that she had a chance to browse the enormous library, and Ron was excited to get some Quidditch practice in. Harry was happy that he got to spend time with his friends, but he was dreading them asking about what had happened with his relatives.

Harry checked his watch, "I have to go now," he said, "Bye."

Ron and Hermione said goodbye as he headed off towards the Room of Requirement, he had told them about his Occlumency lessons and Hermione had thought it was a great idea, Ron however thought that it was dangerous and Snape shouldn't be trusted, Harry tended to agree with that view.

Harry entered the Room of Requirement to see Snape once again siphoning memories out of his head and into the pensieve. Once Snape was finished he walked over to Harry and began to speak.

"I am most disappointed with your inability to keep the Dark Lord from entering your mind after several of our lessons. As such, I have decided that we will continue having two lessons a week when school resumes until you have mastered Occlumency."

"But sir, I have Quidditch practice!" Harry exclaimed, shocked by the announcement.

"If you cannot keep the Dark Lord out of your mind then you will not be alive to play Quidditch." Snape stated coldly. "Now, prepare yourself."

Harry spent the few seconds trying to clear his mind, trying to stop himself from feeling angry at Snape for assigning the worst sort of punishment…

"_Legilimens!"_

_Harry was once again following the familiar path that led to the hall with the glowing orbs, he looked up and saw his name, this time he noticed that it said something else as well, he reached for the orb…_

Harry had remained standing this time, but Snape's glare was worse than ever. "Is this what you saw yesterday?" Snape asked, the anger evident in his voice.

"Yeah," Harry replied, annoyed with Snape and the inevitable lecture that was about to occur. "Mind telling me what it's about? Because I have no clue."

"You do not need to know what it's about. Suffice to say that you should not be thinking about it, and you should definitely not go looking for it."

"Why can't I go looking for it?" Harry asked angrily, he wanted answers. "It has _my_ name on it! It can't be that bad, it's just a dusty old orb!"

"That '_dusty old orb'_ is the reason that your parents died! And if you go looking for it you will end up the same way as them!" Snape yelled.

Harry was puzzled, "How is it the reason that they died?"

"Never mind that." Snape snapped, "Now, back to the reason that I am forced to spend my time with such an ungrateful impertinent person as yourself, why can you not clear your mind?"

"I try to, but it's not as easy as you make it sound, and it doesn't help when you're being rude either."

Snape sighed, "Idiotic Gryffindors will be the death of me. Is there any moment ever that you have just thought of nothing?"

Harry thought about it, he didn't think that he had ever thought of nothing, there were always thoughts running around in his head, like they did in normal people. Why couldn't Occlumency just be easy like Quidditch? Quidditch didn't require him to relive bad memories, see mysterious visions and spend hours alone with Snape. Quidditch was fun and carefree, he only needed to worry about catching the Snitch, and he didn't even need to think.

That was it, "Quidditch." He stated simply.

"Quidditch, Potter?" Snape replied, the look on his face was part puzzled, part amused. "Most people would be thinking about avoiding one of the many balls that could be hurtling towards them at any second. Or, considering your track record, trying very hard to stay on their broom. Very well, think of Quidditch then."

Harry recalled the floating, free sensation that he felt when on his broom with the wind whipping through his hair, the feeling that he could just fly away and never land, like a bird.

"_Legilimens!"_

oOo

**A/N: **_Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, please read and review.  
>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo<em>


	13. The Boy Who Was Friends With A Werewolf

**A/N: **_I'm going on camp on Monday, whoop! Although it means I may not have time to write a chapter next week, as I'll be away almost all week.  
>Thanks for the reviews from last chapter. CarelessAngel16, you'll find out soon :D<br>I do not own Harry Potter or his friends, I may kidnap Draco though.  
>Enjoy.<em>

oOo

"Alby, Lewis!"

Harry hadn't had much sleep the night before; he could barely keep his eyes open.

"RAVENCLAW!"

He hoped that Ron hadn't heard him screaming in his sleep again. The nightmares weren't about Voldemort these days, they were about his relatives.

"Bycroft, Tania!"

All of the emotions and memories that he had suppressed could not be controlled whilst he was dreaming. Although, Occlumency did help.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Edwards, Lillian!"

Harry's emerald eyes shot up to watch the small girl walk over to the stool, just as a pair of black eyes did the same.

Severus watched as the girl was sorted into Hufflepuff before lapsing back into thoughtfulness. He had been recalling the events of the last Occlumency lesson and the things he had learnt from Potter's mind. The boy had improved considerably since using the Quidditch technique; the only issue was that he had a thin shield so once Severus broke through he had complete access to the boy's mind. The boy would just have to develop his shield through practice.

"Houston, Ian!"

He had seen many memories of the boy's relatives and their mistreatment of Potter. Those memories were always the easiest to locate and the most painful to view. He had considered warning Poppy as it seemed that Potter was trying to bury them, but he didn't care about the brat that much.

"Porter, Jamie!"

Once again the green eyes and the black watched as a fair haired boy walked over to the stool and sat down.

Severus was reminded of his own Sorting, the anticipation as he waited in line, the disappointment as his best friend was sorted into the wrong house, the excitement as he was sorted into the house he had wished for, but still the bitter sense as he recalled the rivalry between houses that would forever mar their friendship.

"SLYTHERIN!"

The boy seemed almost scared as he walked over to join his new housemates. Severus decided to check him later to make sure he was alright.

Severus was growing extremely bored of the sorting, he was acutely aware of the witch (in all sense of the word) who sat behind them taking notes. Severus couldn't believe her nerve in taking notes on the historic tradition that was the Sorting. Dolores Umbridge was going to make the year a rather unpleasant one.

Severus' gaze drifted over the students, he noticed Potter resting his head on the table, seeming to be sleeping, the boy's lack of sleep was probably caused by nightmares, or more visions.

"Wallace, Susan!"

Harry looked up as the last name was called out and applauded with the rest of his house as the student was sorted into Gryffindor. The table was then filled with plates of delicious food and the voices of hundreds of students filled the hall as everyone discussed their holidays.

Harry looked around the hall, concentrating on the staff table to see any changes. His eyes were drawn to a short woman dressed entirely in pink sitting near the corner of the hall, behind the staff table. "I wonder who she is." Harry said to Ron and Hermione.

They looked up and over to where the woman was sitting.

"I'n she tha mnsry oo'an?" Ron asked, intelligible due to the mouthful of food that he was chewing.

Harry and Hermione both gave the redheaded boy looks of utter confusion.

Ron swallowed his mouthful of food before speaking again, "Isn't she that ministry woman who's meant to be watching us or something?"

"Oh yes, she must be Dolores Umbridge! We overheard the Order talking about her once." Hermione stated, speaking in a quiet tone, although it was barely necessary in the noise of the hall.

"So who is she then?" Harry asked.

"She works for the Minister of Magic, and has been sent to supervise education in the school, from what we heard."

"She certainly has been doing a lot of supervising; did you see how she was taking notes during the Sorting? I hope she doesn't change anything." Harry said, feeling vaguely threatened by the woman's presence at Hogwarts. He resumed his examination of the staff table, there was a very familiar figure sitting next to Hagrid's usual seat. "Professor Lupin's back!" He exclaimed.

Ron and Hermione's heads whipped up to look at the staff table, sure enough Remus Lupin was sitting there, and he looked as if he had just entered the hall. He definitely hadn't been sitting there before.

"It's really great to have him for our OWL year; he was the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we had!" Hermione beamed with excitement.

"It's not just great, it's bloody brilliant!" Ron grinned, "He doesn't look that great though."

Hermione just pointed to the ceiling in response and they looked up to see the full moon in the night sky above their heads.

"I'm surprised he was actually allowed to return, I thought parents didn't want him to teach anymore?" Hermione said, puzzled.

"I suppose Dumbledore must've pulled a few strings." Ron replied, grabbing some dessert.

Harry smiled to himself, happy that his friend was back. He grabbed a plate of treacle tart and began to eat.

Severus gazed over the hall, watching the many students as they ate and talked amongst themselves. He noticed that Potter had snapped out of his fatigue and was chatting amongst his friends. His eyes drifted over the Slytherin table and noticed that his godson was very much a contrast to the Potter boy.

Draco looked more pale than usual, if that was possible. There were shadows under his eyes and he was staring at the table, looking lost in his thoughts and almost afraid. Severus recalled how Lucius wanted the boy to receive the Mark and become a Death Eater; he guessed that this must be the reason behind the boy's sullen appearance and resolved to speak with Draco later.

Soon the hall fell silent as Dumbledore stood and the dishes disappeared from the tables. "Now that you have been fed and watered, I will begin the announcements." The old man began. "First of all, to our staffing changes. You will have noticed that Hagrid is missing; his position will be temporarily filled by Professor Grubbly-Plank for a few weeks until he returns from a vacation. Once again we have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, as they never seem to last very long. This year Remus Lupin has consented to return to once again fill the rather cursed position."

There was an outbreak of cheering and applause at this statement. Even though people knew that the man was a werewolf they remembered how great he was, and he scared them less than the idea of a Death Eater in disguise teaching the subject.

Dumbledore waited patiently as silence returned to the hall again. "We also have a completely new member of staff in a completely new position at Hogwarts this year. I would like you to join me in welcoming Dolores Umbridge as High Inquisitor for the Ministry of Magic to our school this year."

There was a small amount of applause but many statements of confusion amongst students as they wondered what she was meant to do. This confusion was soon addressed as the short woman rose from her seat and walked over to the podium where Dumbledore stood.

"I am sure that many of you are wondering what I am doing here." The woman began in a sickly sweet girly voice. "The Ministry of Magic has always held great interest in the activities and education at Hogwarts, we want the best future for young witches and wizards like yourselves. As such I have been sent to monitor your learning so that the Ministry can assist Hogwarts and its students in the best way possible." The woman then left the podium and returned to her seat.

Her small speech seemed to cause even more confusion amongst some of the students.

"Does this mean she's spying on Hogwarts?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yes, I think so, which is completely unethical as Hogwarts is a separate organisation to the Ministry."

Dumbledore resumed his speech but Harry wasn't paying much attention as he wondered why Fudge wanted to spy on Hogwarts, and if that was even the real purpose for sending Umbridge to the school.

oOo

Dolores Umbridge sat in her frilly pink office, the mewling of her collection of kitten plates the only noise in the room as she read over her notes.

_Sorting Process:_

_Sorting hat random, ineffective, hats __don't__ think!_

_Houses equally unreasonable, no purpose_

_New house system needs to be implemented_

_New sorting/house based on blood purity?_

_Staff:_

_Half-breeds __MUST__ be eliminated!_

_Rubeus Hagrid__- why is he missing? Report to Cornelius_

_Remus Lupin_

_Sybill Trelawney_

_Minerva McGonagall is too close to Dumbledore, surely involved with the army- must be removed _

_Dumbledore is old and senile, he __WILL__ be banished!_

_Dolores Umbridge, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry__ -SOON_

oOo

**A/N: **_So I've been listening to this excellent wizarding band called Ministry of Magic, I especially love Ascendio, Snape vs Snape and The Bravest Man I Ever Knew, you should go check them out on YouTube!  
>Please review, I do love owl mail.<br>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	14. The Boy Who Slept In

**A/N: **_Camp was AMAZING! Best thing ever! And I managed to write another chapter too :D  
><em>_Reviews are awesome, Nyleika42; yay! I found another MoM lover, they are so awesome, I love Luke's voice!  
>Anywho, reviews are awesome, I do not own the Harry Potter Universe, blah blah blah.<br>Enjoy._

oOo

Severus Snape spoke the password to enter the Slytherin dormitory and passed through the gap that appeared in the seemingly solid stone wall. The first week back had been hectic, as usual, and Umbridge's presence had made it even worse.

Umbridge had seen fit to supervise all of the teachers; she would follow a class around for the day and monitor what the teachers taught and how they went about doing it. It was extremely annoying to have her sitting in the corner scribbling away in her obnoxiously pink notebook. Severus was just happy that she hadn't supervised his fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherin class yet, they were a handful.

Severus' eyes scanned the common room which was full of fifth years and above, as was usual for this time on a Friday night. The fifth years had all been thoroughly lectured on the importance of their study and learning in preparation for the OWLs. The Slytherin fifth years were currently working hard to complete their enormous homework load in time for the weekend, as were the seventh years who were to face their NEWTs at the end of the year. Some sixth years were in the common room chatting with their friends as they completed smaller amounts of homework, but overall it was a very orderly, quiet and focused atmosphere. It was just how Severus liked it.

This year was to be a difficult one for all Slytherin students. The house had a reputation for producing dark wizards and Death Eaters, one that wasn't completely deserved. The reputation did have some truth to it however, as many students were children of Death Eaters and as such had been unfairly treated due to the Dark Lord's return. A few were also being pressured by their parents to join the Dark Lord's service, including Severus' godson.

It was a difficult position for Severus to be in; he had to pretend to support the Dark Lord whilst preventing or discouraging his students from turning to the dark side. He had told his students to remain united as always, to ignore criticism from other houses, to support and stand up for each other, to seek help from him if they needed it (which some had done). He just hoped that it would be enough, that it would help keep his students on the path of the light.

oOo

Harry woke to the sound of wind violently rushing through the trees outside his window on the blustery Saturday morning. He rolled over, not wanting to leave his bed in such terrible weather. He closed his eyes and began to drift back off to sleep, to return to his dreams which weren't terrible for once and consisted only of him catching the Snitch and getting the girl...

All of a sudden he sat up with a jolt of realisation, he had Quidditch practice today!

Ten minutes later Harry found himself in front of a very angry Angelina Johnson who had just finished lecturing him about being late for the practice session. Angelina had taken over as captain, due to Oliver Wood's graduation from Hogwarts and she seemed determined to continue Wood's tradition of hard, long practices and slightly obsessive behaviour regarding the Quidditch Cup.

"Now that Harry is finally here," Angelina said to the team, throwing a quick glare at Harry upon mention of his name. "We can begin tryouts for the new Keeper."

Tryouts, Harry had forgotten about them amidst the confusion and hard work of the first week back. He had no idea who would be trying out for the position, he thought that Ron might but his friend had laughed the suggestion off saying that he was nowhere near good enough to play on the Gryffindor team.

The team grabbed their brooms and walked onto the pitch, Fred and George making jokes about Angelina's determination, the tryouts and the still windy weather. Harry supposed that the terrible weather would make it a lot easier to select a new Keeper; they simply had to pick whoever could stay on their broom the longest.

They reached the centre of the field where the small cluster of hopefuls was gathered, all but two shuddering in the freezing wind. There were two smaller third year girls, clutched together for warmth, a sixth year that Harry had seen in the hallways before and someone who looked like a fourth year that Harry had never met or seen before. The unknown fourth year stood unaffected by the wind, his wildly moving dirty blond hair the only indication that the wind affected him.

"Right," Angelina began, almost shouting over the strong gale, "I want to get this over as soon as possible so mount your brooms and do a few laps around the pitch to warm up."

They all mounted and sped off, the boys the quickest to start whilst the girls had some trouble mounting their brooms with their cloaks whipping around everywhere.

The team watched as the four circled the pitch, "So who do we have here?" One of the Weasley twins asked.

"Those girls are third years, Samantha Murphy and Tabitha Lynch; they've been best friends since they started at Hogwarts. The older boy is Cormac McLaggen, sixth year, some of you should know him."

"He's such a jerk." Alicia Spinnet commented.

"Yeah, but he's a good player." Angelina replied, "And the last boy is a fourth year, Sebastian Brennan, I've never heard of him before but he seems like a good flier."

Harry returned his attention to the four hopeful players, Sebastian and Cormac were tied in the lead whilst the girls were straggling behind. Sebastian was slowly but surely tearing away from Cormac's pursuit, he really was an excellent flier.

Angelina blew her whistle and the group returned to the ground, dismounting in front of Angelina and waiting for further instructions.

"You all did a great job of staying on your brooms in this weather." Angelina complimented them, "Now you will take turns to defend the hoops while Katie tries to score a goal. Is that clear?"

The group nodded and Katie retrieved the Quaffle from the chest. "Good, now Samantha will go first, followed by Tabitha, then Sebastian and Cormac." Angelina stated.

Katie and Tabitha sped off into the air and the other three stood to watch with the rest of the Gryffindor team. They did not realise, but as first Samantha and then Tabitha had their turn the Slytherin Quidditch team had infiltrated the stadium and were watching the tryouts.

Samantha had done rather poorly, only saving two out of five goals, Tabitha hadn't done any better. The Slytherin team booing Tabitha off was what made the Gryffindor team finally realise that the Slytherins were there.

"Great." Alicia sighed, "Do those idiots always have to ruin everything?" She went to comfort the now crying Tabitha.

"We can sort them out if you want." Fred volunteered.

"Yeah, we've been developing some products over the holidays." George added, pulling a small bag out of his pocket. "This would be a great testing opportunity for the Puking Pastilles."

Angelina just glared at them, "You will not do anything to those Slytherins. I will not have my Beaters put on probation for attacking the Slytherin Quidditch team. And you-." She turned to face Harry, "Are not to do anything either! We will defeat them fair and square on the pitch. Now, Sebastian, it is your turn."

Sebastian and Katie returned to the sky, ignoring the taunts from the Slytherin team. Harry looked over at the other team, Crabbe and Goyle were the new Beaters and they seemed to be leading the taunts along with Graham Montague, the new captain. The rest of the team was participating wholeheartedly. However, strangely, Draco Malfoy did not seem as into it as the rest of the team. The Slytherin boy was silent, he seemed to be consumed by his own thoughts, too distracted to pay attention and participate in the taunting.

The blond haired boy seemed to notice Harry's staring and looked up, staring right back into Harry's eyes. Harry felt as if Draco was staring through him and was wondering whether Draco realised he was actually there when the other boy raised his hand in a rude gesture, a smirk on his pale face.

Harry briefly glared at the boy before returning his attention to the tryouts. Sebastian had skilfully blocked all of Katie's attempt to score a goal, and it was finally Cormac's turn. Harry watched as Cormac blocked the first four of Katie's attempts with ease. Harry began to feel some trepidation about having 'such a jerk' on the team but his mind was put to ease as Cormac missed the last goal by miles, to the laughter and applause of the Slytherin team.

Katie and Cormac returned to the ground, the latter looking very put off with himself, and Angelina announced the new Keeper.

"You all flew really well today," She said, giving Tabitha a comforting look, "Especially in these harsh conditions, but Sebastian blocked the most goals so he will be the new Gryffindor Keeper."

The team applauded, along with Samantha and Tabitha. Cormac merely grabbed his broom and sulkily walked off. Everyone then headed back to the nice warm changing rooms. Harry didn't notice Sebastian walking next to him until the younger boy spoke.

"Hi, I'm Sebastian Brennan." The boy said, holding out his hand.

Harry accepted the handshake, smiling and ignoring the small twinge from his scar. "Harry Potter."

"Are Slytherins always such jerks?"

"Yeah, they all are, haven't you met any before?" Harry asked jokingly.

"Nope, I'm new here, I transferred."

Harry went to ask where from but he was interrupted as his best friends caught up with him. "Hi," he said, hanging outside as the rest of the team entered the changing rooms. "I didn't know you were watching."

"We came about halfway through, just as that first girl was trying out." Hermione replied. "Terrible weather to try out isn't it?"

"And terrible atmosphere too." Ron added as the Slytherin team pushed past, still taunting them.

Harry noticed that Draco seemed even more out of it up close; he also seemed a lot more paler, and sort of sick looking.

"Yeah, terrible." Harry replied, his mind consumed with curiosity regarding the pale boy, he wondered if it had anything to do with Voldemort...

oOo

Severus sat in his favourite armchair, reading a Potions Journal when a burning sensation on his left arm interrupted his peace. Sighing, he flooed the Headmaster to inform him of his whereabouts and changed into his Death Eater robes before walking out of the castle and to the edge of the grounds where he apparated away into the night.

oOo

**A/N: **_Hope you liked it, I didn't want to get caught up in subjects yet and figured Quidditch is uber important so yeah._

_Please review, virtual cookies for those who do.  
><em>_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	15. The Boy Who Didn't Need Help

**A/N: **_This one took me a while to do, I had to sort out his timetable and classes are a pain and yeah :P Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and thanks for picking up on that Jordina, I had completely forgotten that he would be a year younger. Virtual cookies for you ^_^_

_I do not own the Harry Potter universe, please don't sue.  
>Enjoy.<em>

oOo

_His uncle's fist was flying towards his face..._

_He entered the room with the glowing shelves..._

_The pain of the mighty blow racked his body..._

_He headed for the aisle..._

_A boot entered his side with the force of a bulldozer, destroying his ribs..._

_He reached up to retrieve the mysterious orb..._

_It was too much, he screamed as the pain burned through him, tearing him apart. Surprisingly, the thought of the orb did not disappear, instead it grew more substantial in his mind, the pain fuelling his need to obtain the orb and uncover its secrets..._

_He reached up, the pain focusing him, his hand so close to making contact with the dusty sphere..._

"Harry!"

Harry felt like punching his best friend for waking him up at such a crucial moment. He sat up, realising that he was covered in a cold sweat and was panting from a strange exhaustion. He looked around the room, everyone was staring at him strangely, but as he gazed back they looked away and retreated to the warmth of their beds.

"What?" Harry asked, turning to face Ron who wore an expression of worry and concern on his freckled face.

"Well, you were having a nightmare."

"And? It's not like I've never had them before."

"You were screaming mate, it sounded like you were being attacked."

"I suppose that wouldn't have anything to do with Voldemort last year would it?" Harry stated defensively, he knew what Ron was hinting at and he didn't like it.

"I thought it might have something to do with the holidays." Ron replied, lowering his voice.

Harry got up and started to get dressed. "It was nothing, all right?"

"Look, Hermione and I are worried."

"Well don't be! I'm fine." Harry said, he pulled on his final shoe and left the dorm, leaving Ron behind.

Harry left the common room and purposefully made his way to the Great Hall. He was early for breakfast but he didn't care, he just wanted to get away.

"Hey Harry, wait up!"

Harry stopped and turned, looking for the source of the voice. He saw Sebastian walking towards him and gave the boy a weak smile.

"Can't sleep?" Sebastian asked, catching up to Harry.

"Something like that." Harry replied. He had grown to like the boy since meeting him at the Quidditch trials a few days ago. Sebastian didn't ask too many questions, had the same interests as Harry and was also an orphan, so Harry found that he could easily relate to the boy.

"Nice weather outside, too bad I have Potions today." Sebastian commented, a frown on his face at the idea of having a lesson with Snape.

"Try having a double." Harry replied.

"Now that would suck."

"Yeah, but double Defence with Professor Lupin first makes up for it."

"Lucky, I have Divination first."

"How do you like Professor Trelawney?"

"Ergh!"

They continued to discuss the many eccentricities of Professor Trelawney over breakfast before they departed their separate ways.

Harry was still too early, so he took a slightly longer way. Once he reached the classroom he was still earlier than his other classmates but not too early, so he entered through the open door.

Professor Lupin looked up from his desk as he heard Harry enter the classroom. "Good morning Harry." he greeted, a warm smile on his face.

"Morning Professor." Harry replied.

"You're early." The Professor noted, a slight tone of surprise evident in his voice. "Did you have a fight with Ron and Hermione?" He asked, noticing the lack of the other two Gryffindors.

"Er..." He was spared from answering as the rest of the class began to file in. He busied himself by arranging his bag and books, studiously ignoring his friends as they entered the room and headed straight for him with concerned expressions on their faces.

Hermione had just opened her mouth to start interrogating Harry when there was a small, girly cough from the back of the room. Professor Lupin's eyes narrowed and the class swivelled on their seats to look for the source of the annoying noise.

A small toad-like woman dressed completely in pink was standing in the doorway. "I assume you got my memo regarding the monitoring of this teaching session" Dolores Umbridge stated.

"Yes, I did." Lupin replied, a colder tone to his voice.

"Good." Umbridge said, a smug look on her face as she conjured a squishy chair to sit on in the corner of the room, and withdrew her annoyingly pink notepad.

Lupin turned his attention to the class, ignoring the toad-like woman. "As you will remember last week, I mentioned that we would be beginning methods of concealment this lesson. Please open your books to page 395 and read the entry on invisibility cloaks."

The lesson progressed smoothly with the theory of invisibility cloaks, and then Professor Lupin opened a dusty old cupboard in the back of the room to reveal a rack of old cloaks.

"I have casted a basic Chameleon Charm on these cloaks that will last for about an hour, so feel free to test them out."

As the students all tried out the cloaks, Umbridge took the opportunity to speak to Professor Lupin. "So which topics do you plan on covering this year?"

"I'm starting with concealment then moving on to protective and defensive charms and curse. Then I'll move on to Dark creatures after the Easter holidays."

"And do you feel that you will be able to teach the students at a high standard in order to prepare them for their O.W.L.s, given your... Condition?"

"Of course." Lupin replied, his calm voice concealing the fury that shone in his eyes.

Umbridge beamed a sickly sweet smile at Lupin, knowing that her words had affected him. "Excellent, I'll just go have a chat with some of the students then."

As she walked off, Harry went over to the professor; he had grown bored of trying out the cloaks as he'd had a lot of practice in the past with his proper one. "That woman is pure evil." He said, quiet enough that Umbridge couldn't hear him.

"You should know better to insult your superiors Harry, but I agree. Although, she was worse the other day."

"How?"

"She asked me about why I left in your third year."

They fell silent as they notice Umbridge questioning Ron and Hermione. "Do you think that Professor Lupin is an adequate teacher?" She asked in a loud voice, obviously wanting everyone to hear.

"Yeah, he's the best we've had." Ron replied, Hermione nodding fervently in agreement.

Umbridge frowned slightly and scribbled something on her notepad. She then lowered her voice slightly and directed her next question to Hermione. "Are you afraid of Professor Lupin? Do you think he might attack you?" She asked in a conspiratorial tone.

Hermione frowned, her anger evident. "I am not afraid of Professor Lupin, and I see no reason to be afraid of him." The whole class was now watching the exchange. "Aren't you supposed to be asking about his teaching instead of trying to get him sacked?"

Umbridge looked like she was about to yell at Hermione but instead scribbled furiously in her notepad. The atmosphere in the room was tense, but thankfully it was broken as the bell rang.

"I want twelve inches on the different materials used to make invisibility cloaks, the benefits and downsides of each material, and the uses of invisibility cloaks by next lesson." Lupin instructed them before sending them off.

Harry avoided Ron and Hermione on the way to Herbology in which they were dealing with mature mandrakes, so Professor Spout gave them all a lengthy lecture on how important it was to wear their earmuffs at all times unless they wanted to die. Umbridge was still with their class but after a few failed attempts to speak to Professor Sprout through the earmuffs she gave up and just watched, taking the occasional note.

After Herbology they returned to the castle for lunch, covered in dirt after struggling with the mandrakes which were more difficult to remove from their pots once fully grown. Harry ignored his usual spot and sat further down the table with Sebastian and some other fourth years.

"How was Divination?" He asked, taking some shepherd's pie from the dish in front of him.

"Terrible, as usual, she went through the whole 'open your senses, see through your inner eye' stuff that she usually goes on about, so it was pretty boring. How was Defence?"

"It was good, except for Umbridge." Harry recounted Umbridge's questioning to Sebastian.

"Wow, she's a real witch."

"Yeah, I wish we could just get rid of her."

"We could always send her into the forest; I hear there's a centaur herd in there?"

"Yeah, and giant spiders, unicorns, werewolves, she'd be lucky to come out alive." Harry checked his watch, which he'd had to replace after the second task of the Triwizard Tournament the previous year. "Well, I'd better go to Potions now. See you later."

"Bye."

Harry made his way down to the dark, cold dungeons. He was early but he didn't really care. He just waited alone with his thoughts until, after a couple of minutes, Draco Malfoy appeared.

The Slytherin frowned, "What are you doing here Potter?"

"Why do you care?" Harry replied defensively. "I could ask you the same question anyway, lunch doesn't end for another 5 minutes."

"My activities are none of your business." Malfoy replied smugly before turning away from Harry.

There was an awkward silence between the two boys that neither of them wanted to break. Thankfully it was finally broken as Professor Snape arrived.

"What are you two doing here so early?" Snape asked the two boys.

They looked at each other then back at the professor. "Nothing." They said in unison.

Snape frowned at them suspiciously before finally opening the door to the classroom and allowing them to enter.

The two boys walked in and sat down at opposite sides of the room, both ignoring each other whilst they retrieved the things they'd need for the lesson from their bags. Snape waved his wand and the potion they would be brewing, along with the ingredients and instructions they would need, appeared on the blackboard. The boys turned their books to the right page and began to read.

Snape watched the two boys; they seemed to almost be mirroring each other in their actions yet were complete opposites. It was very strange. He did not have time to ponder further on his thoughts as the rest of the class began to file in, just on time. Dolores Umbridge was leading the group, looking very smug. The professor had almost forgotten that she was coming, and really wished that she hadn't chosen this lesson to supervise.

"I trust you received my letter notifying you that I will be supervising this class today?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Snape replied coldly before directing his attention to the class who were now seated. "Today you will be brewing the Strengthening Solution; the instructions are on the board, the ingredients are in the cupboard, you have an hour and a half... you may begin."

Harry saw Umbridge speaking to Snape but didn't eavesdrop; instead he turned his full attention to the potion. He found the task oddly soothing, almost like Quidditch. It was an unusual thing for him to experience whilst brewing a potion, especially in the dungeon where he had been criticised by Snape for so long. As a result, his potion turned out well, it was almost the same shade as Hermione's and he was rather proud of himself.

He packed up his stuff and left the room, walking quickly as to avoid Ron and Hermione who were sure to be following him. Snape had handed back the essays on moonstone that they had written, but he had not yet seen his grade. He hadn't felt too bad about the essay, and hoped that Snape thought the same way.

Harry went through a concealed door and through a winding secret passage, one that he was sure Ron and Hermione didn't know about. After a while he exited behind a tapestry and was near the Gryffindor common room. He spoke the password to the Fat Lady and entered, slowing his quick pace. He headed for the stairs to the boys' dorms and was just about to go up them when he was blocked by an angry Hermione.

Harry turned and headed for the exit but saw Ron standing in his way. "Ok, what do you guys want?" he asked, giving up.

"We're worried about you Harry." Hermione replied.

"You don't need to be, I'm fine."

"You're not fine mate." Ron replied, "You've been having nightmares for ages, I always see you tossing and turning in your sleep, even screaming like last night."

"That's just Voldemort stuff."

"Oh Harry, don't try to lie to us," Hermione said in an angry tone. "We know it's not just Voldemort, we know what happened over the holidays."

"Well good, then you know that you should just leave it alone." Harry replied, barely restraining himself from yelling at her.

"You're not alright mate, you need help." Ron replied calmly.

"No I don't! I can look after myself! I've been doing it for nearly all my life!"

"But Harry-." Hermione was cut off.

"I've watched Cedric die, I've been tortured by Voldemort, I can live with this!" He pushed past Ron and left the common room, heading for the Room of Requirement. He began to pace in front of the wall opposite the tapestry.

_I need a place to hide..._

Why didn't they understand?

_I need a place to hide..._

He didn't need their help.

_I need a place to hide..._

He was better off having no-one.

oOo

**A/N: **_Points for guessing how Harry did on his moonstone essay, tee hee hee.  
>Please read and review, reviews do help a lot, and they make me feel all warm and fuzzy.<br>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	16. The Boy Who Studied

**A/N: **_Sorry it's late, I had a busy week. Thanks for the reviews :D_

_I do not own the Harry Potter universe.  
>Enjoy.<em>

oOo

Draco Malfoy paced back and forward inside the currently empty room that was the fifth year boys' dorms. An important event was about to happen, one that would change his life forever. It was an event that he used to look forward to and anticipate. He had been foolish back then; he hadn't understood just what would happen to his life, but he did now, and that was why he was dreading the event that was about to take place. He knew that he was about to head down a dark and deadly path that he had no control over. He was about to give an evil megalomaniac complete control over his every actions.

He was about to become a Death Eater.

Draco thought of Harry Potter, they would be true enemies once the night was out. One boy seeking to destroy the Dark Lord and the other destined to aid him. Although, when Draco thought about it, he wasn't sure whether he and Potter were actually enemies after all. They hadn't really fought for ages; they hadn't even been insulting each other as often recently. Draco had been too busy obsessing over the imminent event, and Harry had also seemed occupied with his thoughts.

Harry had been a real loner for the past few days; Draco hadn't seen him speak to Hermione or Ron once, in fact he seemed to be avoiding them. The only student that he had spoken to was that new Gryffindor kid, and Harry hadn't even spoken to him that often.

Harry had also gotten better in Potions, almost as good as Draco himself (which his father never tired of mentioning). Draco supposed that it must have to do with the Remedial Potions lessons that Potter was supposedly taking.

Draco sighed and checked the time before resuming his pacing. He hated the wait.

oOo

Severus sat at his desk marking students' work and waiting for the call from his 'master'. He read a line on the parchment, quill in hand with fresh red ink glistening at its tip. He frowned and read the line again, and again, but it was no use, his mind was too busy to concentrate on marking. He pushed the assignment aside and checked his watch for the thousandth time.

He was worried for his godson, as much as he tried to hide it; he didn't want Draco to go through this at the tender age of fifteen. In fact, he didn't want Draco to go through it at all.

Severus' thoughts turned to the previous meeting, when the date of Draco's initiation had been announced.

_He found himself once again in the dark clearing, most of the Death Eaters were already there but a few were missing including, surprisingly, Lucius Malfoy. Severus took his place, thankful that he wasn't the last person there again, and waited for the rest to appear. Finally the last few arrived, with Lucius Malfoy the very last arrival, and the Dark Lord began to speak._

"_It has come to my attention that to truly win the eventual war that will occur as we make our ascension to our rightful places as the leaders of this world, we must gather more intelligence. In the past, as you will all know, I have sought powerful, revolutionary individuals such as yourselves, many of whom work for the Ministry of Magic, to aide me in this mighty campaign. This has helped me to gather information about the Ministry and plant individuals in there that can gather essential knowledge and manipulate Ministry events to assist in our efforts. However, there is one area where I am still lacking information; Hogwarts._

_If there is one thing that I have learnt from Harry Potter, it is that young witches and wizards are possibly the least suspected members of our society. As such, I will be taking a greater interest in the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and seek to enlist them to our cause so that we may find greater information regarding the workings of the school, the alliances of the teachers and Albus Dumbledore himself. I will require assistance from many of you, my most loyal servants, in order to enlist students of Hogwarts so that they can undermine Hogwarts, the sanctuary of both Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, seek information, and ultimately bring the school toppling down."_

_There was cheering from the group of Death Eaters at this speech, Severus just remained silent, he was shocked. He could not believe that the Dark Lord wished to recruit children, they weren't powerful, and they would be more of a liability than a benefit. The Dark Lord must have gone completely mad to even consider the possibility._

"_Severus, you do not seem very happy with my announcement." The Dark Lord said._

_Severus cursed himself for not joining in the cheering. "I am most pleased My Lord, I was just wondering whether it is safe to recruit children. They are not very subtle or tactful and may brag and alert teachers."_

_The Dark lord let out a cold laugh. "Why Severus, you must have more faith in our youth, as a teacher you should know that they are our future after all. The students will know not to alert anyone to our plan lest they face the consequences of their disobedience."_

"_Of course, My Lord." Severus replied. _

_The other Death Eaters were all silent, watching the discussion. Voldemort gave Severus a calculating gaze before smiling slightly. "While we are speaking of students, have you managed to befriend Harry Potter yet?"_

"_Not as of yet My Lord."_

"_I didn't think so, but luckily I have a backup plan in case of your failure. You will not be punished this time Severus, but if you do not befriend the boy soon then I will have to take action."_

"_Thank you My Lord." Severus was relieved, but what was this backup plan that the Dark Lord had mentioned?_

"_Now, in keeping with this plan, the first student to be initiated will be Lucius' son, Draco Malfoy."_

"_It is an honour My Lord." Lucius stated, bowing._

"_Yes, it is... the initiation will take place at our next meeting..." _

Severus' thoughts returned to the present as the mark on his left arm burnt with an intense fiery pain. He stood and collected his Death Eater robes before heading to the Slytherin common room. He had arranged to take Draco with him to the meeting, and had told the headmaster that they would both be leaving the castle for the evening. He had also postponed his Occlumency lesson with Potter.

oOo

Draco stopped his pacing as there was a knock on the door. He opened it to see his godfather standing outside.

"It's time." Severus said.

Draco just nodded and followed him out of the common room, out of the castle, out of the grounds...

Draco stopped just before they walked through the gates. "I can't do this." He said, fear evident in his voice. "I don't want to be a Death Eater; I don't want to kill people."

Severus placed a hand on his godson's shoulder. "I'm sorry Draco, I wish I could stop this, I really do."

"Can't I just run away or something, go somewhere where he can't find me? I really don't want to do this Uncle Sev." Draco was close to tears.

"You can't just hide Draco; the Dark Lord would find you eventually and kill you." Severus was silent for a moment as he tried to think of an alternative, but there was none. Draco would have to go through with this and become a Death Eater. "I'm sorry Draco, but you have to join the Dark Lord." Severus walked forward, into an area where they could apparate, and held out his arm.

Draco sighed, resigned to his fate, and walked forward to grasp his godfather's arm. Severus turned on the spot and they vanished into the cool dark night.

oOo

Harry was once again in the Room of Requirement, avoiding his friends in favour of reading his Potions textbook. He had found an interest in the subject; which was probably fuelled by his recent successes. He looked over at the essay that he had written on the properties of moonstone, which was lying on the floor next to him. Written at the top in spiky red lettering was a capital E. It looked as though the letter had been forcefully drawn, like the author regretted writing it, which would be typical of the grouchy Potions professor.

Harry smiled and checked his watch, the professor was very late for the Occlumency lesson, it was meant to start half an hour ago. Harry briefly wondered whether he should ask Dumbledore about it but then dismissed the idea, if Snape didn't come then Harry would just spend the night studying in the Room, it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

Harry looked around the room, thinking that instead of just studying Potions he should probably practice Occlumency while he was there. He walked over to the bookshelf, examining the titles on the spines. _Concealment of the Mind...A Guide to Hiding Thoughts...Occlumency for Dummies...So You Think You're Psychic..._ He stopped as there was a glimmer from one of the books. He examined it, noticing that it was covered in a silver foil. He could see his reflection in the spine of the book, along with a mysterious glowing behind him. He whirled around, thinking it was a ghost but then breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that it was just a pensieve.

Harry walked over to the mysterious basin, what was Snape hiding in there anyway? What memories didn't he want Harry to see? Harry stared into the cloudy liquid, tempted to go in there but afraid of the consequences. He pulled out his wand, poking the tip of it into the memories, causing them to whirl around and form a familiar face. The face of his mother.

Harry's brow furrowed in curiosity, his mind was made up; he would enter the pensieve. He leaned over, his nose breaking the surface of the liquid, causing him to be drawn in, leaving only his homework behind.

oOo

**A/N: **_Yeah, I like pensieves, they're great…_

_Jordina, take ten points for Ravenclaw :D  
>Hope you enjoyed, please review.<em>

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	17. The Boy Who Watched

**A/N: **_Good evening!  
>Thanks for the reviews from last chapter, and here is the new one.<em>

oOo

Hermione had just been leaving the library when she encountered Professor Dumbledore walking in her direction.

"Good afternoon Miss Granger." The headmaster greeted, smiling over his half moon spectacles.

"Good afternoon Professor." Hermione replied.

"Have you seen Harry around?"

"No, I've been busy studying in the library." She didn't mention that Harry had been avoiding her and Ron anyway.

"Very well then, if you see him can you please tell him that his Occlumency lesson has been postponed until tomorrow night."

"Yes Professor."

"Thank you Miss Granger. Now, I best be off." and with a final smile he left.

oOo

It was a few hours later and Hermione was sitting in the common room with Ron, completing her Ancient Runes homework. She couldn't seem to concentrate, looking up every few seconds and looking around the room with a concerned expression on her face, it was like she had lost something.

Eventually Ron got sick of her strange behaviour. "Look, if you're that worried then just go find him or something."

"I've looked everywhere Ron, the library, the Owlery, the Quidditch pitch, even Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. There's no sign of him anywhere!"

"Well, get the map then." Ron replied, returning to his Quidditch book.

"But it would be rude to take it without asking."

Ron sighed, "Honestly Hermione!" He stood up, dropping the book onto the armchair, and went up the stairs into the dormitory. A couple of minutes later he returned, clutching a blank piece of parchment. He shoved the parchment towards Hermione before sinking back into his chair and returning to his book.

Hermione smiled at his behaviour, Quidditch books really were the only ones that he would read. She tapped the parchment with her wand, speaking the phrase, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." and began to peruse the map that had appeared, etched in inky black.

It was silent in the common room, which was almost empty except for Ron, Hermione and a few assorted Seventh years. Ron and Hermione had stayed up later than usual, and though neither of them would admit it they knew that it was because of Harry's mysterious disappearance.

After thoroughly searching the map, Hermione finally looked up. The worried expression on her face had deepened, she looked almost shocked. "I can't find him on here."

Ron frowned, "What do you mean? You must've just missed him. Here, let me have a look." He took the map from Hermione and began the search.

A few minutes later, he too had given up. "You're right; he's not on here... But that's impossible! He can't have run away...?"

Hermione motioned for him to be quieter. "Can the invisibility cloak hide you on the map?" She asked, nearly whispering so the other students wouldn't hear.

"I don't think so, could he have used a spell?"

"No, where could he be?"

They scanned the map, searching intensely for their missing friend.

Finally Ron gave up. "It's no use, he's not here."

"Do you think we should tell a teacher?"

"Which one? Dumbledore or McGonagall?"

"Well, if Harry's left the grounds then I doubt he would have done it willingly, he's not stupid. So I suspect Death Eater involvement. In which case..."

"So we should go see Dumbledore then?"

Hermione nodded in reply, her eyes showing her concern and fear.

"Let's go then."

They exited through the portrait, careful not to wake the sleeping Fat Lady.

"You know," Ron said as they hurriedly walked along, "I think McGonagall would have asked too many questions. Especially about this." He raised the map that he had brought along.

"Nice to know that you have your priorities right." Hermione huffed, she looked close to tears.

Ron stopped, grabbing Hermione's arm. "It's gonna be ok, Harry's probably fine, alright?"

Hermione nodded, "It's just, he's been so distant ever since the holidays, and I feel like it's our fault that he's gone." She swiped at her eyes.

"No, he just needs space, it'll all work out, don't worry."

"Ok."

"Now come on, let's find Dumbledore."

oOo

Harry was shocked; he had just witnessed the bullying of Snape by his father, after their Defence OWLs. He had never thought that his father was mean enough to attack without provocation, but apparently he just didn't know his father well enough.

The scene had changed from Snape (whom Harry felt sorry for) hanging upside down in midair to a new scene of Snape talking to Harry's mother.

There was something not quite right about this moment, Harry got this weird sense that something was off. The scene didn't look right either, there was a mist hanging in the atmosphere, giving the memory a surreal and dreamlike quality.

Harry watched as Snape was rejected by Lily, he was surprised that they were friends in the first place, but was even more surprised that Lily had ditched Snape for a man who she seemed to hate in these memories.

The scene changed again, this one was later, Snape looked older, and it seemed to be in the summer holidays. Snape entered a dishevelled old house, the hallway was littered with empty bottles of alcohol, and liquid stained the carpet. Snape sped up, he seemed to be able to sense something, then Harry heard it; a woman's screams.

Harry entered what looked like the lounge room with Snape, and saw Snape's father (whom Harry had seen in previous memories) punching a woman who looked a lot like Snape. Snape ran over to his father, throwing him off of his mother. Harry could do nothing but watch as the younger, stringier teenager attacked the much bigger man, pummelling into him with all of his might.

There was a flash of light and then Snape's father was still, Snape standing over him with his wand drawn. Snape then went over to his mother, feeling for a pulse but finding none, Harry watched as he tried to revive his mother with numerous spells, then, failing, wept over her dead body.

oOo

Do you, Draco Malfoy swear to follow my every order, my every wish, and my every command?

Draco hesitated, he didn't want to say yes, he wanted to say no, to scream it out loud, or even better, to run away to somewhere where the Dark Lord would never be able to find him. However at the sight of his father, staring at him with a small frown appearing on his face, he decided that he wanted to live.

"Yes."

There was an intense pain, like the stabbing of a thousand flaming hot knives, and a stream of inky black pooled on his arm, forming into a very familiar shape, the Dark Mark.

"Congratulations Draco, and welcome, for now you are one of us. In fact, you are now our youngest member." The Dark lord raised his voice. "However, if our plan succeeds, then Draco will not be the youngest Death Eater for very long. His acceptance into our order tonight marks a new era, a change in the world of magic. It marks our road to success and the domination of wizards over those filthy muggles that have persecuted us, and lived in ignorance for centuries."

The Death Eaters cheered, inspired by his speech. Draco however was quiet.

"In the spirit of tonight, and to assist with this endeavour, I want you all to contribute. I want every witch and wizard gathered here tonight, all of my most loyal followers, to make a pledge. I want you all to promise that your firstborn child will join us as a Death Eater. I want you to pledge them to my service."

oOo

Harry had seen the funeral of Snape's parents, the declaration that his father had died from alcohol poisoning. He'd seen Snape move out of home and work for an apothecary; he'd seen the friendless, lonely man join Voldemort who promised him power. He'd seen Voldemort suggest that Snape take up a teaching position at Hogwarts to gather information...

He was now watching a very familiar scene, the meeting that he had seen part of ages ago, while he was still asleep.

oOo

One by one the Death Eaters raised their wands, even Draco, a small red light at the tip of each one. A stream of light beamed out from each wand, heading to the centre of the circle where they all connected at the tip of the Dark Lord's wand, the many beams of light looking like the spokes of a bicycle wheel.

The light grew brighter and brighter, almost as bright as the sun itself, before vanishing. The spell was complete, they had all pledged their firstborn children to the Dark Lord's service.

Severus was surprised that they had all been willing to contribute, although the majority of the Death Eaters were insane anyway. Severus had no problems with making the pact; he had no child, didn't want one, and was unlikely to ever find someone who he would ever want to have a child with.

The Dark Lord dismissed them all and Severus turned on the spot, apparating back to Hogwarts. He decided that he would make a trip to the pensieve to clear his mind before the Occlumency lesson that would be occurring the next evening.

oOo

Harry watched as Voldemort instructed Snape to befriend him, he made a mental note to ask Snape about that sometime. The scene faded into darkness, changing once again to reveal the face of Harry's mother, it looked as if she was talking to a mirror or something.

_Severus, if you get this message then it means that I am dead. I created this memory and left it with Albus to give to you at the right moment if we did not reconcile before my death._

_If I am dead then it probably means that Voldemort has taken over, and Harry is dead too, if not then please tell him that I love him and I'm sorry that I did not get to spend more time with him._

Lily looked like she was about to cry, and Harry waited impatiently for her net words, shocked by her appearance in this pensieve.

_I want you to know that I'm sorry, I regret having to leave you, and I regret having to lie to you for so long. I have kept something hidden from you that I must tell you now._

Harry did not get to hear the rest of her message as he was grabbed by the arm and pulled roughly out of the pensieve, back into the Room of Requirement.

oOo

**A/N:** _Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it.  
>Please review, Voldy will hug you if you do! (Although that's not much of an incentive...)<br>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	18. The Boy Who Wasn't Like His Father

**A/N: **_Sorry this is so late! I had a friend staying over and went furniture shopping and stuff, I've been soooo busy!  
>Please read and review :D<br>To all my reviewers from last chapter *insert evil laugh here*  
>*standard disclaimer about me not owning HP*<br>Enjoy._

oOo

"So you have no idea where he is?"

"None, we looked everywhere."

"And he's not on this map that you have shown me…" The headmaster looked down at the map spread on his desk, examining it through his half moon spectacles.

"We think he's been taken by Death Eaters." Ron stated firmly.

There was a moment of silence.

"Actually, Mr. Weasley, I disagree with you there." Dumbledore replied. "If he had been taken then I would know." The old wizard gave Ron a brief, almost secretive, smile before resuming his study of the map. "I believe that I may know where he is hiding."

"Where?" Hermione asked, an excited note in her voice.

"In the perfect hiding place." Dumbledore said under his breath before looking up at the two teenagers. "The same place that he uses for the Occlumency training that I am sure he has told you about."

"But Headmaster, we don't know where that is, he never told us."

"Hmm, that suggests that he does not want to be found by you…" He stared at the teens with a piercing gaze, as if he was trying to examine their souls.

"Well, he has been a bit out of touch lately." Ron said, averting his eyes.

The headmaster raised his eyebrows in interest. "Really? Why is that?"

"Well, we tried to ask him about his relatives-"

"We thought he might need help." Hermione interrupted.

"And he did not take this well?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, he said that he didn't need our help, and then he ran off."

"And he hasn't spoken to us for days." Ron added.

"Dumbledore's expression returned to a warm smile. "He really is just like his father."

"So can you tell us where he is?" Ron asked.

"I most certainly could tell you Mr. Weasley; however I am afraid that I won't. I believe that Mr. Potter needs time to think and be alone, you two are excellent friends and I am sure that he will find you when he is of need."

oOo

Harry was flung out of the pensieve, landing hard on the stone floor, with Snape looming over him. He scrambled to his feet and prepared himself for the tirade that was about to occur, judging by the irate expression on the professor's face.

"What in Merlin's name were you doing in there Potter?" Snape snarled.

"I-"

"What gives you the right to look at my private memories? You're just like your father, arrogant and deceitful!"

"I am not, and you're the deceitful one! Why didn't you tell me that you knew my mother?"

"It was none of your business!"

"It was, just because she rejected you-" Harry was cut off as Snape grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall.

"Don't you say another word." Snape stated, the man looked livid.

Harry frowned in confusion at a though he had. "But she was sorry...What did that memory say?"

"Why should I tell you?" Snape hissed, his expression was one of extreme anger with his teeth clenched and eyes wild.

"It had something to do with me, didn't it?"

Snape's expression grew even fiercer. "Get out!" He pushed Harry towards the door.

Harry wanted to protest, to find out what was in that memory, but Snape's anger warned him against it. He opened the door and walked through.

"These lessons are at an end." Snape said, slamming the door in Harry's face.

oOo

A week had passed since Harry had entered the pensieve, and the boy had just found himself exiting a double Potions class. Harry's newly discovered Potions talent had continued, helped by the fact that Snape was currently pretending that the boy didn't exist, and therefore not insulting him.

Harry headed up to Gryffindor Tower, wanting to leave his bag there before visiting Lupin for tea. The professor had invited Harry over, claiming that they hadn't had a chance to speak much, and Harry had gladly accepted.

Harry's thoughts returned to the pensieve as he left his bag in the dormitory and exited the common room. His father's bullying behaviour had plagued his mind ever since the trip in Snape's memories, surely the man can't have been that bad? Sirius and Lupin had always spoken so highly of James Potter, Harry had only ever heard good things about him.

Then there was the matter of Lily. She had seemed to hate James and had been great friends with Snape, until he called her a mudblood of course. The incident had seemed a bit trivial to lose a friendship over, but sometimes people drifted apart (he tried not to think of Ron and Hermione).

The real mystery was the memory that Lily had left behind, but Harry didn't think he'd find that out anytime soon, judging by Snape's behaviour even he hadn't seen that memory.

Harry knocked on the door to Lupin's office, the door was answered and he entered, looking around the room which contained several magical concealment devices, a few tanks, and an ominously rattling wardrobe.

"Boggart?" Harry asked, indicating the old wardrobe.

"Yes." Lupin replied whilst making tea. "I found it while clearing out an empty classroom, thought it would be good for teaching the third years."

Harry smiled, recalling memories of when Lupin had taught about Boggarts in his third year, the image of Snape in a dress entering his mind.

"So how have your Occlumency lessons been going?" Lupin asked, serving the tea.

"Uh, well..." Harry didn't want to lie to the professor. "They haven't actually?"

Lupin frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Snape's stopped teaching me."

"Why?"

Harry explained his trip into the pensieve, leaving out the details of the memories. Even though he hated Snape, he still respected his privacy, to an extent.

"Well, it's no wonder he won't teach you Harry, but you can't just stop, you should go apologise, get him to start teaching you again."

"It's not that bad, I know the basics anyway. I'm more concerned by what I saw in the memories."

Lupin raised an eyebrow, "You really think that learning Occlumency is not as important as what you saw?"

"Well…Kinda…" Harry said, avoiding Lupin's gaze.

"What did you see that is so concerning?"

Harry recounted the memories that he had viewed of the Marauders taunting and bullying Snape. Lupin listened intently, a look of wistfulness on his face as he was taken back to the days of his youth.

Once Harry had finished there was a brief moment of silence before Lupin spoke. "There was definitely a rivalry between Severus and your father when they were younger; it was similar to the one between Mr. Malfoy and yourself."

"Except, I don't attack Malfoy for no reason, and gang up and bully him in front of the whole school so that everyone hates him." Harry replied vehemently.

"Are you feeling sorry for Professor Snape?" Lupin asked, a small smile on his face.

"No, I just don't think it was fair that James was such an arse!" Harry sighed, "Everything that Snape said about my father is true; he was an arrogant idiot who strutted around like he was better than everyone."

"That's not true, James was a good person, he just did not get along with Severus at all. The two of them hated each other from the start and would always try to one-up each other. They were only 15 in that memory as well, and James didn't really mature until our seventh year when he started dating Lily."

"That's another thing; I didn't know Snape was friends with my mum."

Lupin smiled. "They were friends for ages; I thought they would end up as a couple. That was until they fought and never spoke again."

"I thought it was a silly thing to lose a friendship over, I mean calling her a mudblood was bad, but Snape was embarrassed by James, and he did seem to feel really bad about it when he apologised to her."

"Well, it was more than just that; Lily didn't like Severus' Slytherin friends or his obsession with the Dark Arts, and Severus was jealous of James and thought Lily would leave him for James, it all built up."

"Hmm, I wonder what would have happened if they didn't have the fight..."

Lupin smiled at the boy, "Yeah, I wonder."

oOo

Severus sat in the Room of Requirement, leaning against the wall and watching the soft glow of the pensieve. He had been coming back here every night for the past week, deciding whether he should take the plunge and view the memory that captured his every thought.

Severus had entered the pensieve to retrieve Potter just as Lily's memory had appeared. He had watched, captivated by the beautiful features and enchanting voice of the woman whom he had once loved. It was only when she mentioned Harry that he really noticed the boy standing in front of him, and remembered that he was there to remove the boy whose belongings he had seen in the room.

Severus had never seen Lily's memory before, she had said that she left it with Albus, and as he was the only other person to have even touched the pensieve, ignoring Potter's foray, it must have been him who put it there. Severus wouldn't put it past the headmaster to meddle with the private memories that Severus had placed in the pensieve.

He racked his brains, trying for the millionth time to think of what could possibly be in the pensieve, but nothing came to mind. He and Lily had been young when they had stopped speaking to each other, nothing could have happened between them, and there was nothing significant that Lily had done. The only relationship that had been present between them was Severus' hidden love for the woman.

Severus sighed and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling; he remembered Lily's words '_I want you to know that I'm sorry'. _He smiled wryly, that apology was only about 16 years too late.

oOo

Harry left Professor Lupin's office in time for dinner, he head down to the Great Hall with the rest of the students.

"Harry, wait up!"

Harry turned to see Sebastian heading towards him; he waved and waited for the boy to catch up.

"Hey, I haven't seen you for a while." The blonde boy said, grinning.

"Yeah, I've been busy."

"More Potions?"

"Yeah, mostly."

"I dunno how you do it, you're gonna be better than Snape one day I swear."

"Potions is great, it's just that Snape makes it hell."

The boys laughed.

"Hey, have you ever heard of a prophecy?" Sebastian asked, his expression turning serious.

"As in the weird Muggle doomsday fortune telling stuff?"

"Sort of."

oOo

**A/N: **_Dn dn dn! *insert shock noise here*  
>Please review, because you love me :D<br>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	19. The Boy Who Grew

**A/N: **_Good evening my lovely readers. Thanks for the reviews, I do not own Harry Potter and I'm a little evil._

_Enjoy._

oOo

Dolores Umbridge strolled through the pitch black halls of Hogwarts, a smug smile on her toad-like face. She had set everything up perfectly, and her plan for ultimate supremacy of the school was going to be a success.

Her plan was a wonderful one, no-one could have come up with any better, in fact she was amazed at her ability to pull off something so excellent and amazingly crafted. Her plan would not have been possible if it weren't for the strange behaviour of Severus Snape.

The Potions Master had been acting weird for days, she hadn't seen him in the Great Hall or in the staff room, only when she had inspected one of his classes, and even then he seemed distracted. This weird behaviour created the perfect environment for her plan to thrive.

This plan was only a single part of Umbridge's grand scheme to overthrow the teaching foundations at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but it was an essential part. This plan involved the extermination of one of her greatest foes, a half-breed abomination, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin.

She had been requesting the Minister of Magic to forcibly remove Lupin from his teaching post and the school, but Cornelius had sadly been unable to deliver. He had said that they could not remove Lupin unless he was proven to be a true danger, he had to injure someone.

Umbridge exited through the grand doors, heading towards the Forbidden Forest where she knew an angry and hungry werewolf would be waiting.

It had been simple for Umbridge to enter Snape's office, that he had barely been in for the past week, and tamper with the freshly brewed Wolfsbane potion. Snape, in his distracted state, would never notice the rare herb that had been added to the concoction, and even if he did there was no time to brew another batch.

Umbridge admired her resourcefulness in being able to track down a black market potions dealer, one who was far more skilled than Severus Snape. She would have to fix some staffing arrangements once she became headmaster.

Umbridge entered the Forbidden Forest, navigating through the towering trees and dark tangles of undergrowth as silently as possible, keeping an eye out for the werewolf, like a hunter stalking her prey. She didn't have to search for very long.

She stumbled into a clearing, it was brighter than the forest that she had just trekked through, lit by the shining full moon. She looked across the clearing and saw the werewolf feasting on a deer.

The werewolf looked up from its meal, seeming to sense her presence, and stared across the clearing, directly at her.

Umbridge pulled a camera out of her frilly pink handbag and took a couple of photos of the beast, before removing her wand and aiming it at the creature. This only caused the werewolf to become enraged by her presence, a deep growl beginning in its chest as it slowly paced toward her, abandoning the deer for fresher prey.

Umbridge did not panic; she just stood and smiled with her usual smug grin. Lupin was going to be fired very soon.

oOo

Harry and Sebastian were in the library, which was a strange place for them to be so early on a Saturday morning, but they were there for a specific purpose, one that was very important to the both of them. They had been researching prophecies and trying to find out where they were kept. As soon as Sebastian had described what a prophecy was, Harry mentioned his dream with the massive hall filled with endless glass orbs. The boys had decided that the hall was probably a real place, and started their investigation.

Harry had no idea why Sebastian wanted to know about prophecies, but he didn't want to ask the boy as it could be a private thing that he didn't want to share. Harry was just glad that he had some company in his quest to find the truth about his weird dreams.

Harry brushed his hair out of his eyes as he turned the page of the book he was reading. His hair had been consistently growing longer, which was strange as it had never grown much over the past few years. He had first noticed the increasing length soon after his birthday and hadn't thought much of it, but now it was down to his shoulders and could get rather annoying at times, he supposed he should tie it back or something.

Sebastian sat up and stretched his back, stiff from leaning over the dark wooden table of the library, perusing the contents of many books. He checked the time and jumped, starling Harry. "Crap! Quidditch practice starts in 10 minutes, come on Harry, we better go!" He got up, hurriedly stacking the books into haphazard piles before grabbing his bag and heading for the exit.

Harry jumped up from his seat and followed, racing through the hallways alongside him. They reached the Entrance Hall and were about to dash through when they were blocked by a growing wall of students in front of them. Sebastian looked around and sighed in relief as he saw that the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were stuck there as well. Harry was more transfixed by what was occurring in front of them.

Umbridge was on the floor, crying loudly, blood pooled around her from a series of open gashes on her arm that looked like they were made by some sort of animal. Madam Pomfrey was attempting to tend to the hysteric woman whilst Dumbledore stood behind her, conversing with one man whom Harry would never be happy to see, Cornelius Fudge. The man was in his customary pinstriped suit, holding a lime green bowler hat in his hands.

Harry noticed Ginny at the front of the crowd, so he pushed through until he reached her. "What's happened?" He asked.

"Umbridge ran in dripping blood and screaming about some sort of monster. Someone sent for Madam Pomfrey but Umbridge won't let her touch her, she just keeps crying, something must have really shocked her. Anyway, Madam Pomfrey sent for Dumbledore and Umbridge insisted that Fudge be called, it's the only proper thing she's said."

Harry nodded, and then watched as Fudge finished his conversation with Dumbledore and knelt down next to Umbridge, avoiding the blood. "Dolores, my dear, what is the matter?" He asked, his tone one of utmost concern for the woman.

Umbridge's crying faded and she hiccoughed a couple of times before replying. "I…It w…was a monster." She said, the tears beginning to come through again.

"What sort of monster?" Fudge asked soothingly.

"A…a werewolf." She hiccoughed before bursting into tears again.

Fudge's expression turned to one of shock and anger, Harry also thought he could detect a sort of glee. "Lupin?"

Dolores nodded through the tears.

Fudge swivelled round to face Dumbledore, standing as he did so. "I demand that you remove Professor Lupin from his position at once! I want him evacuated from the grounds, never to set foot here again!"

Dumbledore's expression turned ice cold. "You have no authority to fire my staff, or to order their resignation."

"Oh, but I do. Lupin has injured a Ministry official, one who is here to supervise Hogwarts. As such, he has both proven that he is a dangerous person who is incapable of controlling himself, and also is an incompetent teacher and unfit member of staff. In these circumstances, both myself and Dolores are able to remove him from the school."

"How can you prove that it is Remus who did this?" Dumbledore asked challengingly.

"Just how many werewolves do you have running around here, Dumbledore?"

His question was met with a silence that was only punctuated by the occasional sob from Umbridge.

"Well then, I will summon people to retrieve Lupin at once, in the meantime I think Dolores should be treated."

At his words, Madam Pomfrey managed to move Umbridge onto a stretcher that she Summoned and head for the stairs, the stretcher floating alongside her.

"I apologise Dumbledore, but I am merely correcting a problem that should never have occurred after the events of two years ago."

"The problem would never have occurred if you did not send spies into Hogwarts." Dumbledore said softly, still watching the staircase that Madam Pomfrey and Umbridge had disappeared up.

"Yes, well…" Fudge twirled his bowler hat, lost for words. He just gave a sharp nod, putting the hat on his head before leaving the room, and the castle itself.

As soon as Fudge left, the crowd came to life and started to move off, but before they could Dumbledore spoke.

"No one is to leave the castle whilst Professor Lupin is being apprehended." He commanded. "This means that, regrettably, Quidditch practices will also be cancelled."

There were groans from some of the students at the headmaster's proclamation, Harry didn't care; he was too busy thinking.

"Harry, are you alright?" Sebastian asked, concerned by his friend's silence.

Harry suddenly seemed to come to life. "Yeah, I just have something to do." He said, abandoning the younger boy.

Harry dashed up the stairs, pushing through the crowd. Umbridge's tears had seemed strangely fake but whether they were real or not the cut on her arm certainly was.

The Minister was about to hunt down Lupin and send him to Azkaban, so Lupin had to hide before they could get him, but he may not even know what he had done whilst in his werewolf form. Harry had to find Lupin and help him escape.

Harry realised with a sense of nostalgia that this was similar to the incident in his third year, except this time Lupin would be the wanted criminal who he was helping to escape.

Harry entered his dorm and rummaged through his trunk, searching for the Marauder's Map, which he knew was in there somewhere.

"Looking for this?" He heard a voice behind him ask. He turned to see Ron and Hermione in the doorway, Ron clutching the map in his hand.

"Yeah, I am." Harry replied. "What are you doing with it?"

"We want to come with you." Ron replied. "We were there, we know that you want to find Lupin before they do."

"How do you know?" Harry asked defensively.

"Because that's what you do." Hermione answered.

"Well I don't need your help, so just give me the map please."

"Not unless we get to come with you." Ron replied.

Harry reached out to grab the map but Ron held it above his head, attempting to use his greater height to his advantage. The move failed though as Harry reached up and grabbed the edge of the map. Harry was mildly surprise that he could reach the map at all but assumed that he must have had a growth spurt.

Harry's height surprised Ron as well, the redhead stepped back, pulling the map from Harry's grasp, and gave him an appraising look, his friend looked a bit different than usual, his hair was longer and he was noticeably taller. Perhaps it was just because Ron hadn't seen much of Harry lately.

Harry sighed, "Fine, you can come with me then. Just hurry up or Lupin will be captured."

Hermione smiled and Ron nodded, opening the map. They all scanned it, searching every inch for their friend. It didn't take long for them to find him.

"There." Hermione pointed towards a small dot in the Forbidden Forest with the name Remus Lupin hovering above it.

Harry stared at the dot. "Why isn't he moving? Is he hurt" He asked.

"I don't know but we'd better hurry; Fudge is coming back through the gate." She added, pointing to a small group of 3 dots at the gates.

"I wonder if he's brought dementors this time." Ron said, his face turning pale.

"We'll find out soon." Harry replied, grabbing the map and heading out the door.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other, smiling tentatively; it looked as though Harry was talking to them again, for now anyway.

oOo

Severus was once again in the Room of Requirement, isolated completely from the rest of the world in his blissful bubble of solitude.

The internal battle was still raging on inside of him, the decision of whether he should look at the memories or not. He had recently considered confronting Albus to see if he knew what was in the memory, how Lily had apparently lied to him, and even more importantly; what she had kept hidden from him. However, he didn't really wish to speak to the older man, partly because he wanted to keep the memory private and also because he slightly resented the man for keeping the existence of the memory hidden from him.

Severus stood up and walked over to the pensieve, staring at the strange substance inside that was neither gas nor liquid, transfixed by the silvery white swirl. He knew that he would have to go in there; he would have to confront the demons of his past and find the answers that he needed.

Severus extended his hand, entering it into the silvery substance; Lily's face came swimming to the surface as Severus was drawn into the pensieve, taken into the memory of his lost love.

oOo

**A/N: **_Thanks for reading, please review._

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	20. The Boy Who Was On A Mission

**A/N: **_Sorry that this is so late! I've been really busy with school work, so I've had like no time to write. I promise I haven't left you all!  
>I may not get to write another chapter for a while, as I am starting NaNoWriMo tomorrow (a novel writing thing, more info at ) so I'll be busy writing ~2,000 words of another story each day.<br>Anyway, thanks for the reviews, I do not own Harry Potter etc.  
>Enjoy.<em>

oOo

Hagrid led the small group out of the campsite, keeping to the shadows as best as he could. The giants followed him, with Madame Maxime bringing up the rear.

Casting Disillusionment charms on five fully grown giants had been difficult, even for the powerful French woman, so the two magic users had to go without, and try to stay hidden by the night.

The group had almost fully escaped the campsite, and were just breaking into the forest that surrounded the site when the shrill sound of sirens tore through the air, the tone so high and piercing that Hagrid fell to the ground on his knees, covering both ears with his giant dustbin-lid sized hands, in fear that they might explode.

A series of pops announced the arrival of the Death Eater squad, who took hold of Hagrid and Madame Maxime, the two magic users powerless to resist due to the stunning tone of the alarms, and apparated away with them, back to the main camp.

The invisible giants stayed put, completely unnoticed.

oOo

Hagrid and Madame Maxime soon found themselves bound and gagged, helpless in front of the great Gurg of the giants, the mighty leader of their clan. Hagrid had been struggling to remove the bonds that held him captive, but it was no use, they were created by magic.

The Death Eaters were speaking to the Gurg with the aid of a magical translator device that looked like a pair of ear horns. Hagrid watched the two parties converse, the Death Eaters must be eager to gain the friendship of the giants to have worked out such a system.

Eventually the Death Eaters withdrew from the pile of rocks shaped like a crude throne that the Gurg was seated on, situated in front of a large campfire. From the look on the Death Eaters' face they hadn't got exactly what they wanted.

The head Death Eater walked over to Hagrid and Madame Maxime, standing over them as he spoke. "The honourable Gurg, leader of the giants, and myself, have come to a decision. You will be faced with a trial; if you pass you will be free to go. However, if you fail you will both be killed."

Hagrid and Madame Maxime looked at each other; they both knew that the Death Eaters would kill them anyway so their best bet was to undergo the trial.

"Right, wha' is this trial then?" Hagrid asked, turning back to the Death Eater.

The Death Eater grinned evilly underneath his silvery mask and beckoned for two of his cronies to lift the pair of half-giants, leading them away from the large fire that was the centre of the camp, and into the dark night.

oOo

Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way through the dark undergrowth of the Forbidden Forest, trying to make as little noise as possible so that no creatures would be alerted to their presence.

The only light came from Hermione's wand, she had been using it to illuminate the map which she had been studying but had soon given up as she needed her hands to push aside branches and other obstacles. They continued on for a few minutes until they heard a branch snap loudly behind them and Harry signalled for them all to hide behind a large bush.

They waited in complete silence, the only sound being the furious beating of their hearts. Eventually Harry motioned for Hermione to check the map, so she quietly lit her wand and unfolded the old parchment, scanning the wand over it.

After a small amount of time she let out a gasp and hurriedly stowed the map away, getting to her feet. "They've entered the forest, Umbridge is leading them!" She told the boys, who wore identical expressions of confusion on their faces.

At her words they too scrambled to their feet and ran after the girl, in the direction of their professor. They just hoped that they would get there in time.

oOo

Dolores Umbridge examined the neatly written to-do list that she had created in her pink notebook, she removed the bright pink quill from between her teeth and drew a perfectly straight line in pink ink, crossing out the name _'Remus Lupin'_. She smiled in glee at this task, and gave a small girly giggle.

At the sound of footsteps, Umbridge stashed the quill and notebook under her pillow and lay back, feigning an expression of sickness. She looked up as the footsteps entered the room, and saw the Minister for Magic standing at the foot of her bed, with a pair of men in tow.

"Dolores, my dear." The Minister began. "Are you feeling well?"

Umbridge sighed dramatically and adopted a pained expression. "I'll be alright, I suppose, I don't know if I'll be able to use my arm again though." She stifled a fake sob.

The Minister looked concerned, nervously twirling his lime green bowler hat in his hands. "I do hope you recover soon, but for now I was wondering if you could tell us where you found the beast so that we may have a better chance of recovering him."

Umbridge sat up, a malicious twinkle in her eye. "Better yet, I can lead you to him." She said, all pretence of pain gone.

oOo

Severus Snape watched Lily Potter, the love of his life, as she spoke to him through the memory. He had a strong urge to reach out and touch her, to feel her silky smooth skin under his hand, to smell the scent of lilies that always seemed to be trailing after her. But he could not, it was just a memory, there was no way of bringing his love back to life.

_Severus, if you get this message then it means that I am dead. I created this memory and left it with Albus to give to you at the right moment if we did not reconcile before my death._

_If I am dead then it probably means that Voldemort has taken over, and Harry is dead too, if not then please tell him that I love him and I'm sorry that I did not get to spend more time with him._

_I want you to know that I'm sorry, I regret having to leave you, and I regret having to lie to you for so long. I have kept something hidden from you that I must tell you now._

Severus leaned closer, hoping to hear the secret that he had missed the last time he witnessed this memory, the secret that had been kept from him for many years.

_You will probably remember the incident in our fifth year, when you called me a mudblood and I would not accept your apology, the incident that caused us to never speak to each other again. In fact, if I know you right, it was probably the worst moment of your life. _

_That moment was fake._

_The truth is that I forgave you; I saw that you were just embarrassed by James; I knew that you were better than that. _

_After I forgave you, I persuaded you to move away from your Death Eater friends. You became best friends with the marauders, although you tried to hide that you actually cared for them, and you and I dated for the rest of our time at Hogwarts and eventually got married._

Severus was shocked, what was Lily talking about? Had she gone insane? Why was she saying these things? How could they have been married? He had the strong urge to just leave the pensieve, but his curiosity forced him to stay

_You still maintained contact with your Death Eater friends, so when the war started getting worse and Dumbledore needed a spy, you were the best candidate. You volunteered to join Voldemort, to be a double agent, even though I told you not to. You were so brave._

The tears were streaming down Lily's cheeks as she continued the tale.

_But soon after you joined, a problem occurred. Voldemort managed to enter your mind using Legilimency, he found out the location of the houses of some of the Order members. Dumbledore was furious with you, he decided that since you weren't a skilled enough Occlumens you might be better served as a sort of sleeper agent, to be a Death Eater and collect information until Dumbledore needed you most._

_To make this happen, and make sure that Voldemort couldn't use Legilimency to take information from you, Dumbledore decided to wipe your memory. You didn't know that it was going to happen, Dumbledore only told me, and he set it up perfectly so that you wouldn't suspect a thing._

Lily's sobs grew louder as she struggled to hold back the tears and continue her recollection. Severus even felt tears springing to his own eyes.

_Our relationship was hidden, so it wasn't too hard for the Death Eaters to believe that you had changed allegiances. They probably would have assumed that you were only pretending to follow Dumbledore anyway._

Lily sighed and wiped the tears away.

_There's one other thing that you need to know; I did not know it at the time but I had fallen pregnant just before you became a Death Eater. James decided to act as the father, he was there when Harry was born, and it is his name that Harry now bears._

Severus gasped, did this mean that?

_Harry Potter is your son Severus and I will hope that you get to know him as such. The key to unlocking your memories lies within him._

Severus paced back and forwards inside the memory, this could not be happening, it was not possible.

_Severus, I am sorry for keeping this from you for so long. I love you._

The memory ended and Severus was ejected out into a world of despair, confusion and pain.

oOo

**A/N: **_Ooh, I bet no-one saw that coming ;)  
>Don't worry if I don't post another chapter for a while, it's just NaNoWriMo, and probably schoolwork, I will finish this story.<br>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	21. The Boy Who Rescued

**A/N: **_Sorry it took a while for me to add a new chapter, I had to finish my NaNoWriMo story and even though it's now holidays I've been rather busy._

_Thanks for the reviews, I know the surprise at the end of the previous chapter was a bit obvious but it wasn't meant to be a complete mystery :D_

_I don't own the Harry Potter universe, blah blah blah etc._

_Enjoy._

oOo

The three teenagers reached the clearing, it was strangely empty, but for one figure lying in the centre. Hermione gave a gasp and ran over to the figure, it was Professor Lupin.

"Is he alright?" Ron asked, keeling down next to Hermione to look at the man.

Hermione shrugged and waved her wand over the man, using a spell that she had learnt from Madam Pomfrey to check his vital signs.

Harry walked over to pair and stifled his own gasp as he looked down at the professor. The man was covered in dirt and blood, it looked as if he had been fighting off an army. Harry looked around the clearing and saw the carcass of a dead animal laying in a shadowed area underneath a tree, it looked like a deer.

"I think he's alright." Hermione said, snapping Harry out of his thoughts. "It looks like he's just been Stunned."

"I bet it was Umbridge that did it." Ron's tone suggested that he wished to murder the woman.

No-one objected.

"Can you un-Stun him then, Hermione?" Harry asked. "We'd better hurry up and get him out of here before the Ministry people come."

Hermione nodded and pointed her wand at the professor again. _"Ennervate."_

The professor slowly sat up and looked around him, dazed from the charm. "Umbridge?" he asked, turning to look up at Harry.

"She's not here right now, but she will be soon, with a bunch of people from the Ministry, they're going to arrest you!" Harry frowned in confusion as he saw Lupin's eyes not focused on him, but rather somewhere behind him, the man's expression one of shock. Harry looked over his shoulder to find the source of the man's shock and his own eyes widened as he saw the three dementors gliding towards them.

"Harry, cast your patronus!" Hermione yelled as the ethereal figures drifted ever closer, sending their chill throughout the clearing.

Harry raised his wand and tried to think of a happy thought a happy feeling, but none came. The dementors were enhancing the feelings of dread and despair that had already been inside of him, making those negative feelings take over.

"_Expecto Patronum." _He said, trying to produce a patronus, willing his majestic stag to appear, but nothing happened, not even a wisp left his wand.

Harry had no choice but to stand here, helpless as one came even closer, wrapping its bony, decrepit, claw like hand around his throat and removing its hood-

"_Expecto Patronum!" _

He heard Professor Lupin yell, and suddenly the hand was gone, Harry rubbed his neck to remove the pain and turned to see the professor standing with his wand raised.

"You alright?" Lupin asked.

Harry nodded and followed as Hermione led the way out of the clearing. He felt a little ashamed with himself at lying to the professor, and saying that he was alright, even though he still felt the deep sense of despair that had engulfed him with the dementor's presence.

"You sure you're alright?" Ron asked, surprising Harry as the ginger appeared alongside him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry said. "Thanks though." He added with a smile.

Ron grinned in reply.

The group continued through the thick undergrowth of the dark forest, dodging branches and trying not to trip over large tree roots. Hermione held the map in one hand and her wand in the other, keeping the light shining on it. Eventually she stopped and turned to talk to the others.

"We're right at the edge of the forest." She said, whispering. "The Ministry people and Umbridge are almost at the clearing, so we'd better hurry and get back to the castle before they see that their criminal has left, and they really start looking. Harry, give the professor your cloak. It won't cover all four of us, and he's the one that needs hiding."

Harry nodded and handed Lupin his invisibility cloak which the man quickly donned, then they set off towards the castle. They all silently preyed that they could avoid the clutches of the Ministry. Lupin's life probably depended on it.

oOo

**A/N: **_Sorry this one's a bit short, I hope you liked it  
>Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo<em>


	22. The Boy Who Succeeded

**A/N** _Sorry this one's late, I've been planning for my Singapore trip and also haven't really felt like writing, which is terrible._

_I do not own the Harry Potter universe, etc. etc._

_Enjoy._

_oOo_

The group dashed across the grounds, striving to get across as quickly as possible without anyone seeing them. They were about halfway to the entrance when all hope was obliterated by the presence of the Minister for Magic heading towards them. They slowed their pace and tried to act as casual as possible.

They were about ten paces away from the man when he suddenly switched his focus to somewhere behind them. They turned their heads to see a dementors drifting out of the forest and towards the group. Harry started to panic, he turned to the others and saw looks of shock on their faces. If the dementor came too close he would sense Lupin, the man would be captured. Quickly Harry made up his mind. "Run." He whispered to the professor. "Leave through the gates, it's the only way."

Harry heard no response from the man, the only sign that he had indeed left them was a small shift in the wind. Harry kept watching the dementor, and as he saw no change in the creature's steady movement toward them, he turned back to face the Minister. Ron and Hermione did the same, Hermione giving Harry a questioning look as she had not heard the boy's instruction to Professor Lupin.

"Harry, fancy seeing you out here!" Fudge exclaimed, smiling weakly as he stopped in front of the trio. The man looked flustered and Harry could guess why.

"Well it is my school, Minister. Actually, I find it rather strange to be seeing you here."

The Minister's smile disappeared. "I'm sure you understand that I have a situation to take care of here." He said, looking studying the three children. "And I do hope that you three are not interfering."

"I'd assumed that you would have resolved this situation by now sir. Especially since Professor Lupin is so clearly innocent." Harry replied, growing irritated by the Minister.

Fudge's cheeks reddened in anger. "You have no idea what you're talking about boy, I suggest you stay away from situations that you clearly do not understand!" And with that he strode off, the anger evident in his quick paces. The dementor joined him and together they strode into the dark forest.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one."

"Yeah." Harry agreed. "Too close."

The two boys turned towards the castle and continued heading towards it.

Hermione just stood staring in the direction of the gates. "I do hope he doesn't get caught." She said to herself before joining the boys.

oOo

Draco was in a secluded area of the Slytherin common room, he just lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, completely lost in his own thoughts. Life had been so hard on him lately, what with him having to please his father, do well in school, and be the perfect Death Eater. He just really didn't want to see anyone anymore. He wanted to be left alone without the pressures of the world.

Clearly, Pansy Parkinson did not get the memo.

There was a delighted squeal and suddenly the window, Draco's only light source, was blocked by an all too familiar figure. "Draco! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Pansy admonished, the scowl on her face as fake as the long eyelashes that fluttered against her cheeks.

Draco sighed. "What do you want?"

Pansy's expression turned to one of befuddlement. "I want to be with my _boyfriend_ of course." She stressed the importance of the word.

"Look Pansy, I'm not your boyfriend, I don't want to be your boyfriend, and right now I really do not want to see you." Draco replied, his tone signifying that he was very annoyed with the girl.

Pansy gasped. "What do you mean? Are you feeling well?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, I just don't want to see anyone."

Pansy frowned. "Does this have something to do with you being a Death Eater?"

"No..." Draco could feel a headache coming on. "Yes…Maybe, look I don't know."

"Will it be better if I join the Dark Lord as well?"

"No, it definitely will not. Look, can't you just go somewhere else? I have a headache."

"But I should be here with you then, to make you feel better." She adopted a sickly sweet tone.

"Honestly, I would feel much better if you just go make out with Goyle again, I know you really love that activity."

Pansy's expression was a mix of shock and fury as she slapped Draco. "What are you talking about? There is no way I would stoop to that level!"

Draco smirked through the pain in his cheek. "Oh really, that's why you've been snogging him for the past month? I know what you've been doing and I don't want to associate with you anymore."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Pansy sounded on the verge of tears.

"Yes, now leave me alone!"

Pansy fled the room, crying her eyes out and heading to the girls' dormitory.

Draco sighed as he stood up and left the Slytherin common room before he could be interrogated by any of Pansy's annoying friends.

oOo

**A/N **_I'm leaving for Singapore on Friday, and will be there for 10 days, then when I get back I'm going on another mini holiday so the next chapter may not be for a while._

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	23. The Boy Who Worked

**A/N:** _Sorry that this is so late! I've just been so busy for the past few weeks with school and everything._

_I do not own the Harry Potter universe, etc._

_Enjoy_

oOo

Draco walked down the dark, empty corridor. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do, he just knew that he wanted to get away from it all. He was sick of the pressure put on him by his father and his friends. He didn't want to be a Death Eater, he just wanted to survive.

After a while he found himself near the library, so he decided to start the latest Potions assignment. He was certain that none of his friends would be caught anywhere near the library right now so it seemed like a good place to escape.

Draco set his books up on the large table in the middle of the library before moving off to the aisles in search of the right book.

oOo

Harry and the others had returned to the Gryffindor dormitory after rescuing Remus. Hermione and Ron tried to make conversation but it was just awkward for all of them, Harry was still unsure how he felt about them prying into his private life and the other two were just hoping that he didn't yell at them.

Eventually Harry excused himself to go to his dormitory, where he spent the rest of the day finishing his Transfiguration homework. He made some contact with Ron and Hermione the next couple of days but still found it awkward.

His lessons were continuing as normal, the same large amounts of homework and stressing the importance of the OWLs. The only strange thing was that Snape seemed to be acting odd in Potions, he seemed lost in thought sometimes and was acting like Harry did not exist at all. Harry just figured that it was better than being insulted, and as long as he was still getting good grades he could take anything from Snape.

Harry's mood had been lifted a bit by the decoration of the castle in preparation for Christmas. He and Sebastian had helped Hagrid move around several large Christmas trees and decorate them.

Harry hadn't had any of the strange dreams for a while now, and that helped to make him feel better as well, in fact he had completely forgotten about the dreams.

And now, with nothing better to do and wishing to avoid the awkwardness that occurred when he was around Ron and Hermione, Harry had escaped to the last place that he had ever thought he would find solitude; the library.

Harry had positioned himself at the far end of one of the aisles, right next to where the books he needed were located. This way he would be almost isolated, and wouldn't have to move very far to get his books. He was leaning against the wall, his bag and a pile of books next to him and his knees propped up with a book resting against them, he was using this book as a surface to lay his parchment on as he wrote.

He was very interested in the assignment he was currently working on; it was on the effect of increased dosages of Dreamless Sleep Potion on the human body, and the ways to safely increase the strength of Dreamless Sleep potion. The assignment wasn't due for another week but Harry had almost finished it and was looking forward to seeing the expression on Snape's face when he handed it up early.

"Uh excuse me."

Harry looked up to see Draco Malfoy standing in front of him, looking rather awkward and a bit put off.

"Yeah?" Harry wondered why the Slytherin would want to talk to him.

"I need that book." Draco pointed to a large hardback book with a glossy dark blue cover and the title _Sleeping Herbs for the Sleepless_ located on the shelf right next to Harry's elbow. Harry was familiar with the book as he had looked through it just before, then rejected it as it had no information on the topic he was researching.

"You're doing the Potions assignment, right?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded in reply.

"You'd do better with this book then." Harry said, pulling an old leather covered book out of his pile.

"Thanks." Draco replied, taking the book from Harry and leaving the aisle.

There was complete silence in the library for a while; the boys were the only people in the room, even the irritable old librarian was gone for some reason.

Eventually Draco returned to Harry's aisle and wordlessly returned the book. Harry expected him to immediately return to his table but after a moment he realised that Draco hadn't moved, Harry looked up at the boy questioningly.

Draco had a puzzled expression on his face as he stared right into Harry's gaze. "You helped Lupin escape didn't you?"

Harry didn't know how to answer, there was no menace in the boy's question though, and he supposed it wouldn't hurt if Draco knew what he already suspected, so Harry just nodded in reply.

"Why?"

"Because he didn't deserve to be locked away, he's a good man, and he's my friend."

If anything, that statement made Draco seem more puzzled. "I don't understand Potter, how can you just keep saving people all the time? There's nothing in it for you, you risk your life every single time, how are you so…Brave?"

There was silence between the two, Harry was completely taken aback by Draco's outburst, and the mere fact that Draco saw him as 'brave'. Wasn't this the same boy that had despised and mocked him for years?

"What happened to you Draco?" He asked, "You've changed." Now that Harry thought about it, the boy had been acting different for a while now, less antagonistic and more reserved.

Draco sighed and turned away. "Nothing that you could fix, Potter."

"But I can fix it, probably anyway, I can at least help, I'm good at getting people out of bad situations."

"Yeah, and into worse ones." Draco muttered underneath his breath, just loud enough for Harry to hear.

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed, maybe Malfoy hadn't changed that much after all. He started to pack up his things and leave.

"Wait." Draco said, stopping the boy from reaching towards his bag. "I have a problem, and I think you're the best person to talk to right now."

Harry was stunned for a moment. "Seriously?" He asked.

Draco just nodded in reply, his face slightly more pale than usual.

"Ok, what is it?"

Draco looked around nervously to make sure they weren't being watched before extending his left arm and rolling his shirt sleeve up to the elbow, displaying the inky black mark that tainted the skin of his pale forearm.

Harry gasped and reached for his wand.

"No." Draco said as Harry raised his wand. "It's not like that, this mark is my problem, I don't want it!"

Harry frowned suspiciously before lowering his wand. "You don't want to be a Death Eater?"

Draco shook his head. "No, but I had to, my father made me."

The Slytherin continued to recount his tale to Harry, oblivious to the other Gryffindor, a very familiar fourth year, who was hiding a few aisles away. Sebastian smiled wickedly as he listened to Draco, his master would be very interested in this bit of news.

oOo

**A/N: **_Hopefully the next chapter won't be too far away, but school is very busy considering it's my last year. Hope you enjoyed the chapter._

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	24. The Boy Who Celebrated

**A/N:**_ Sorry there was such a huge break between the last chapter and this one. I've just been so incredibly busy with school and my pet rat dying, and getting two new rats and just everything. Thanks to those who have still been following my story, and I'm sorry if you feel like I've let you down._

_As usual, I do not own any aspect of the Harry Potter world, and don't get any money for writing this (otherwise I would update a lot more often)._

_Enjoy._

oOo

_There were bottles littered over the floor of the room. Some were empty, some still had a small amount of liquid remaining, forming a sticky layer on the glass. The contents of some of the bottles had spilled out onto the pale rug, leaving dark stains that would never disappear. _

_Amongst the bottles lay a dark mass, if one studied this mass closer they could discern that it was, in fact, a man. A man with hair so black that it was only challenged by the colour of his robes. A man with sallow skin, who obviously did not get enough daylight._

_The man was clutching a photograph in his left hand, this photograph contained a picture of a woman with bright red hair and shining emerald eyes. She was laughing at the camera, as if someone had just told a joke. This woman had her arm around a slightly shorter boy who had dark black hair and sallow skin, it was a miniature version of the man in the room._

_The only sign that the man was alive was that he was clutching his left forearm, and giving small groans of discomfort. If one knew about the magical world, they may deduce that this man was a Death Eater, and that he was being summoned by Lord Voldemort._

_If one knew a lot about the magical world, they could deduce that this man was Severus Snape, and he was in trouble._

oOo

_Harry reached up to the dusty orb, his fingers brushed the surface and he reached a little higher so that he could grasp it in his hand…_

Harry woke up to an empty dormitory. He put his glasses on, brushing his long hair out of his face, and checked his watch; it was only 9:00. He climbed out of bed and got dressed, then nearly tripped over a pile of presents at the foot of his bed. He looked around to see scattered wrapping paper around the other beds. Then he remembered; it was Christmas.

He gathered his presents up, took a couple more out from where he had hidden them under his bed, and then rushed down to the common room. He saw Hermione and Ron sitting on one of the couches so he rushed over to them.

"Merry Christmas, guys." He said, handing presents to each of them. They thanked him and began to open the gifts. "I just woke up, so I haven't opened anything yet." He said, sitting down on the armchair next to them and beginning his own present opening.

The three teenagers had finally sorted out their differences about a week ago, it had happened after Harry had a nightmare about his uncle. He had woken up to find Ron shaking him, and his throat sore. Apparently he had been screaming loud enough to wake all of the boys, and Ron had decided to take him to see Professor McGonagall. Harry had refused however, so Ron had gotten Hermione instead.

They had insisted upon knowing what was wrong, and Harry had refused at first before he finally gave in and told them about the abuse that he had suffered at the hands of his uncle, the neglect and torture that his 'family' had put him through. How Dudley eventually ended up being the nice guy. How Harry had been afraid he was going to die, and how he had almost wanted it to happen.

Harry had broken down in tears, and Hermione had comforted him, Ron had been shell-shocked and had reassured Harry that he was there for him, that they would get those muggles back one day.

Afterwards, Harry had realised that confiding in his friends made him feel much better about the situation; it was like some of the pain had been removed from him. He realised that he should have confided in them sooner, and that his friends really were amazing.

oOo

"So I had another one of those dreams again." Harry said, throwing the Quaffle to Sebastian.

"Did you finally get the orb this time?" Sebastian asked as the boys kicked off from the ground and flew into the air.

"Nearly, I was touching it, and was about to grab it and take it off the shelf when I woke up."

"Maybe we should go find it." Sebastian suggested, twirling the Quaffle like a basketball on his finger.

"Yeah, maybe." Harry said, staring off into space as he thought about it. He was abruptly jolted back to reality by the force of the Quaffle hitting him in the chest.

"Come on, we can figure it out after we're done with our annual Christmas quidditch practice." Sebastian grinned.

"Fine." Harry said, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team joined them on the snowy pitch, and they spent the last few hours of daylight practicing for the quidditch match that was to happen the first Saturday after the Christmas holidays.

oOo

The clearing was empty when Sebastian apparated into its darkness. He didn't have to wait very long before the tall, dark yet deathly pale figure of his master appeared.

"Did you have news for me Sebastian?" The Dark Lord asked, waving away the bow that Sebastian gave upon his appearance.

"Yes, I do. Potter has had another dream, this time he almost took the Prophecy. Is this a sign that we should act?"

The Dark Lord smiled coldly. "Yes Sebastian, I believe it is time for you to lead him to the Department of Mysteries, and to retrieve the Prophecy."

Sebastian nodded. "And when do you want this to happen."

"I will leave the details to you, but it must be as soon as possible. Now, was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

Sebastian thought for a moment before replying. "You should probably question Draco's alliance; he has revealed to Potter that he does not truly pledge his allegiance to you. Normally I would dismiss his words as a lie to get friendly with Potter, but I believe there was some truth in his tale."

A few moments passed before the Dark Lord responded. "Yes, I have been wondering about Draco for a while now, it may be better to simply dispose of him."

There was another moment of silence. "Tell me." The Dark Lord said. "Have you seen much of Professor Snape lately?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No-one has, the rumour is that he's ill."

"I am beginning to mistrust Severus, he is another person whom I may need to dispose of."

Sebastian simply nodded."

"Well, if that's all, then you may leave."

Sebastian gave another small bow before whirling on the spot and disappearing into the air.

The Dark Lord remained in the clearing for a minute longer before disapparating, he had to deal with Severus Snape.

oOo

**A/N:** _I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review, I really do hope to write a new chapter ASAP but I don't know how busy I'll be. I'm not giving up on this just yet though :D_

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	25. The Boy Who Saw

**A/N: **_I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in ages, I've just been incredibly busy with schoolwork, and this chapter has been lying on my computer half-written ever since I uploaded the last one. I wish I could stick to more of a schedule but school can get really heavy (bad excuse, I know)._

_Thanks for all your reviews, they really help, and thank you everyone who keeps on reading even though I have a terrible schedule. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

oOo

The man in black stood, easing himself up and off of the alcohol soaked floor. His mind was fuzzy, his head pounding from the effects of enough alcohol to kill a horse. He couldn't think straight, which would have been a good thing if it were not for the sense of despair and dread that still overcame him. The alcohol was excellent at removing all ounce of logical reasoning, but clearly it was not so effective at blocking emotions.

The man looked down at the bottles that surrounded the place where he had lain, later on he would regret it, later on he would feel disgusted in himself for having succumbed to alcohol; the one vice that he knew he must never indulge in given his past.

For now, the man simply stepped through the bottles, ignoring their scattered mess in favour of determining what had woken him up. He walked around the house, inspecting everything, peering out all of the windows, checking his wards, but he could not figure out what it was that had woken him.

After a few minutes of wandering, he realised that it may have been the wards on his other house that were alerting him. He walked out the front door; cast a few final charms and then disapparated into the cold, harsh, early morning air.

The room he apparated into was even worse than the one he just left. It was dark and made of stone, those factors along with the moss growing on the walls and small puddles of water suggested that it was underground. It was the Potion Master's dungeon.

The man could immediately tell that his wards had been breached, so he climbed the stairs into the main section of the house. The whole house gave off a dank, unkempt air of neglect and despair. It seemed as if it had been a long time since anyone had cared for this house, and the dust accumulating on the many surfaces suggested that it had also been a long time since anyone cleaned it.

"Homenum revelio." The man whispered. His spell revealed that there was someone else in the house, so he proceeded with caution.

It was not long before the man encountered the figure whose presence the spell had indicated. As he entered his living room, he met the tall, old, bearded figure that was his master.

"What are you doing here, Albus?" The man asked. The appearance of the other man had sobered him up instantly and he was acutely aware of how disgusting he looked.

Albus' eyes held none of their usual twinkle; instead they held concern, and even a little disappointment. "After you hadn't shown up to some of your classes, I became concerned. I couldn't find you anywhere in the school, and this is the third time I've visited your house."

Severus didn't know what to say. Part of him resented being treated like a child, but the other part realised that Albus just wanted to help him. He didn't know how Albus could help though, the headmaster had no idea.

"I can look after myself." Severus said, turning away.

"Apparently you cannot." Albus replied, anger becoming apparent in his tone. "You have abandoned your teaching position, your role in the Order, your own health and from the looks of it you've also been avoiding Lord Voldemort."

There was no reply, Severus simply stood silent, staring at the floor. The silence stretched on, Albus waiting for Severus to break it, but the man refused to.

"Severus, what is wrong?"

For a brief moment Severus wanted to answer the question, wanted to confide in Albus, tell him what he had seen and how it had made him feel. He had wanted to share the love, anger, betrayal, depression, regret, sorrow, even the very small feeling of hope. That moment was interrupted however by a high pitched ringing noise.

Severus' head snapped up, and he turned to look at Albus. "The wards."

Albus waved his wand, there was no apparent affect but it must have done something, as he stated. "Voldemort is here."

oOo

_He was reaching for the orb once again, his hand was a few centimetres from its dusty surface-_

_No, he was Voldemort now, he was walking down an old footpath, entering a garden gate, heading for the door, he was there to punish Severus Snape. He heard a ringing in his ears and smiled, Severus was prepared for anything, but it would not stop Harry. He opened the door to a dark, dusty old hallway; he followed it, reaching a dimly lit living room._

_He saw Severus standing alone in the centre of the room, Severus tried to apparate but it was no use, Harry's own enchantments would prevent that. He raised his wand, smiling coldly. "Now, Severus." He rasped in his hissing snakelike voice. "You will pay the price for your betrayal." He began to utter the cruciatus curse, the incantation on the tip of his tongue, when Severus disappeared into thin air._

_The anger rushed through Harry and he screamed, his scar burning along with his throat._

_The scene changed and he was in his bedroom, his uncle's fist repeatedly connecting with his face. His screams of anger changed to those of pain, he thought it would never end…_

"Harry wake up!" Ron had been awakened by his friend's screams, he thought he could guess what Harry was dreaming about. He grabbed Harry's sweat-soaked shoulder and shook him.

Harry sat up straight in his bed, shaking and covered in cold sweat. He went to reach for his glasses but realised that he could see fine without them. This would have confused him, but he was more concerned with his dream.

"Was it your uncle again?" Ron asked quietly.

Harry nodded, "Sort of." He wanted to get some more air, so he gestured to Ron and they left the dorm.

Hermione was waiting for them in the common room.

"What are you doing down here?" Ron asked, he was unsure if it was a coincidence or if she had actually known about Harry's dream.

"I cast a spell to let me know if something went wrong with Harry. I should have told you, I'm sorry."

Harry waved off her apologies.

"So what was your dream about then?" Ron asked. "That is, if you're ok with telling us, I mean."

Harry gave a shaky sort of nod, he wanted to collapse but he also wanted to run away. He settled with just standing there and recounting his dream, if it was just a dream.  
>"It started off pretty normal but then suddenly the dream changed and it was like I was Voldemort, I was in his mind. I was looking for Sev- Snape, I was really really mad at him. I walked into his house, and found him. I was about to torture him but then he disappeared, but he couldn't have disapparated because I'd casted a charm. I got even more angry and just yelled." Harry paused, then looked away from his friends' shocked faces as he recounted the next part. "Then the dream just sort of shifted, I was back in my room and my uncle was hurting me again, I could feel the pain like it was real."<p>

"Oh Harry." Hermione hugged him.

"Maybe you should see Dumbledore." Ron suggested.

"I dunno."

"You really should." Hermione said, "What if Voldemort can go into your mind?"

"Dumbledore will probably just get me to do Occlumency again."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"No, I just really pissed off Snape after our last Occlumency lesson." He hadn't seen much of Snape since that last lesson either.

"Regardless of what Snape says, I think you should see Dumbledore anyway, this is something that he really needs to know about, and maybe he can find another way to keep Voldemort out."

Ron nodded in agreement with Hermione. They had been agreeing a lot lately…

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Harry said.

"Want us to come with you?" Ron asked.

Harry considered it for a moment, he liked having his friends around but he thought he'd better let them get some rest for what remained of the night, it was holidays after all. He also preferred seeing Dumbledore alone. "Nah, I'll be fine, you guys get some more rest."

"It's nearly time to get up anyway." Hermione replied, but she gave him an encouraging smile as he left the common room.

oOo

It didn't take Harry very long to reach Dumbledore's office, he had even managed to guess the right password for the gargoyle that guarded the winding staircase. Now he just had to open the door and enter. He didn't know why he hadn't opened the door already, he knew he would have to speak to Dumbledore and he wasn't afraid, he just wanted to wait for a while before opening the door. He wished that Lupin were still here, it would have been easier to go speak to him.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as the door silently swung open. He took this as a sign that he should enter, and did so.

"Ah, Harry, how are you?" Dumbledore greeted, a warm twinkle in his eye.

"Good." Harry replied, although he felt ready to leave as soon as he saw Dumbledore's other guest. Snape was seated in one of the chairs facing the desk. The man looked rather dishevelled, causing Harry to wonder what had happened to him. It was probably something to do with his disappearance from teaching.

"And what can I do for you this morning?" Dumbledore asked, reminding Harry of how early it must be.

"Well, I-" He didn't want to mention his dream now that Snape was here, but Snape seemed to be pretending he didn't exist anyway. "I had this nightmare. I was inside Voldemort's mind, no, I was Voldemort…" He recounted the dream to Dumbledore, whose expression grew graver as Harry's tale progressed. Even Snape seemed to be interested.

Harry didn't mention the prophecy, he didn't know why but he just thought it was something he and Sebastian could sort out by themselves. He also didn't mention his uncle at the end of the dream.

There was silence after he finished speaking.

"This is very remarkable Harry." Albus stated.

"You don't believe me?"

"Oh, I most certainly do believe you. In fact, I know that you are telling the truth. You see, I had left Severus just as Voldemort arrived, and Severus has just informed me as to what happened after my departure."

Harry was relieved that Dumbledore believed him, but also curious as to why Dumbledore had been visiting Snape. "So what does this mean Professor?"

The headmaster was quiet for a moment as he thought. "I believe you will have to resume your Occlumency lessons."

Harry was about to protest but Severus beat him to it. "You will have to teach him yourself then Albus, I refuse."

oOo

**A/N: **_A little cliffhanger, I hope to get into the Harry and Snape relationship stuff soon though, and I hope to upload another chapter soonish, at least with a smaller break than the last one._

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	26. The Boy Who Made Arrangements

**A/N: **_Hey guys, I hope the wait wasn't too long but here's the new chapter. I do hope you like it, and thanks for the reviews.  
>As usual, I do not own Harry Potter stuff.<br>Enjoy_

oOo

Hagrid and Madame Maxime carefully made their way down the mountainous slopes, three giants following closely behind them. They had managed to escape with eight of the creatures, and were hiding them in strategically located caves in the area. They were close enough to Hogwarts that they could be used if any emergency came up, but far enough away so that no-one would find them.

Hagrid was very much looking forward to relocating the last few giants, then heading back to his cabin with Olympe for some well-deserved rest. It certainly hadn't been easy escaping with the giants…

oOo

"_Sorry, wha'd you say I have to do again?"_

"_You have to defeat the Gurg."_

_Hagrid looked over to the mighty leader of the giants, who leered viciously back at him._

"_Of course," the Death Eater continued. "You are more than welcome to give up…"_

_Hagrid grit his teeth, he would have to at least try, for Dumbledore's sake, and Olympe's. "Fine, I'll do it."_

_The Death Eater grinned viciously…._

_Hagrid and the Gurg circled each other like beasts, both waiting for the other to attack. The giant was the first to make a move, swinging his spike studded club overhead to hit the ground right next to Hagrid, who had thankfully been able to move just in time. The next few attacks occurred in a similar fashion; the giant striking his massive club and Hagrid avoiding the blow, until finally one landed square on his shoulder._

_Hagrid could feel that the bone had been shattered from the force of the blow, and was momentarily paralysed, only just managing to roll out of the way as he sensed another blow coming. He was tempted to lay there and just give up, he knew that there was little chance of him physically beating the gigantic, powerful creature. But he could not fail Albus and Olympe like this._

_As he pushed himself up off the ground he remembered something that a giant couldn't do. He pulled a misshapen stick from his pocket and aimed it right at the giant's chest. He shouted his spell and a beam of light emitted from the wand, landing straight on the giant's chest, over the heart._

oOo

Once he'd defeated the Gurg, he and Madame Maxime had rounded up the Death Eaters with the help of some enthusiastic giants. It had turned out that a few others, apart from the ones they'd been escaping with, opposed the Gurg. The rest simply respected whoever was in charge, which was now Hagrid according to their laws.

Hagrid had no interest in becoming the new leader, so he appointed someone to act for him and then left with the giants that were interested in helping Dumbledore.

Hagrid erased the marks in the snow as he and Olympe left the last cave. He was pleased that Dobby had been able to repair his long broken wand; it had certainly helped in this mission. He grasped Olympe's hand and smiled as they headed towards the back of the Forbidden Forest, all that separated them from Hogwarts.

oOo

Albus' face grew stern. "Harry, will you please wait outside for a moment as I talk to Professor Snape."

The boy nodded and left the room, the headmaster casting a spell at the door upon his departure.

"Severus, this has something to do with your recent absence, does it not?"

"That boy invaded my privacy, he is selfish, arrogant, dimwitted and thinks everything belongs to him, including my own private memories!"

"What did he see?" Albus asked calmly.

Severus was reluctant to tell the headmaster of Lily's message; if she was right he was the man who had stolen all of his memories. He wanted to run away somewhere he could never be found, to drink himself into oblivion. But then he remembered the look on Albus' face, how disgusted the old man had been, and how disgusted Severus was feeling with himself.

He decided that Albus knew the truth anyway. He had been there all along, Lily had instructed him to deliver the memory, and he wouldn't put it past the man to watch it.

Severus raised his Occlumency shields, controlling his mind before he replied. "He saw the beginning of a memory, one that I had never encountered before, it was a message from Lily." He avoided Dumbledore's eyes as he spoke, staring at the artefacts on the shelf behind the headmaster.

"He didn't see all of it, I caught him and removed him from the pensieve, I told him to leave and that Occlumency lessons were over. I resisted the temptation to watch the rest of the memory for a while but finally I gave in."

The look on Albus' face was part worry and part relief, he did not say anything so Severus continued.

"She said that my memory had been modified by you, that we dated ever since our fifth year and we were married. We could have been together forever, but I made a small mistake, a single slip up and so you wiped my memory!" Severus had begun to feel his anger with the Headmaster, so he took a moment to calm his mind before continuing.

"Severus, I-"

Severus looked at him coldly, silencing the old man. "She also said that we had a child, and that child is Harry Potter."

The men were silent for a moment, until Albus sighed. "I should have told you earlier Severus."

"You should never have wiped my memory!"

"I thought I had to, I was a fool. I knew you would never want to return to Voldemort, yet I wanted to control you."

"Well clearly it worked! And now your Golden Boy is as good as dead!"

Albus frowned, "What do you mean, you do not intend on revealing this to Voldemort do you?"

"No, but I may have no choice! Do you remember how I told you that the Dark Lord made us all swear our firstborn child to his service?"

Albus' face turned pale. "Is there a way you can remove the spell, prevent it from working?"

Severus shook his head. "It was created in the style of an Unbreakable Vow, next time I visit the Dark Lord, I will have to bring Potter with me."

Albus rose from his chair, his face grave and the twinkle gone from his eye. He began to pace back and forth in the office. "Perhaps you should bring him along then."

"Albus, are you insane?! He will be killed, I will be killed when they realise that I fathered the child!"

"Voldemort is presently furious with you; he may see bringing his greatest enemy to him as a way of making up for your indiscretions."

"But what will happen to the boy? Surely you don't mean to have him killed!"

Albus stopped his pacing and looked at the younger man; saw the slightest hint of concern behind those unreadable obsidian eyes. Was now the time to tell him? It could assist their efforts if Severus was to know, but he had learnt enough lately…  
>"Harry Potter will be fine. Now, I believe we should bring the young man back in here, it must be cold out in the hallway."<p>

"Albus, you're not going to tell him, are you?"

"Why not? He deserves to know, just as you did."

"I have no desire to become his father, and what if the Dark Lord enters his mind and discovers the truth?"

"I seem to recall, Severus, that Harry just entered Voldemort's mind, not the other way round." At the dangerous look on Severus' face, Albus conceded. "I will not reveal the true nature of Harry's parentage to him. However, I wonder if you have noticed the changes in him recently? His hair, his height, his newfound love for Potions, he also does not seem to be wearing his glasses this morning. He may indeed realise the truth before you speak to him."

Albus opened the door, apologising to Harry for having left him out in the stairwell for so long. Severus studied the boy, noting that he was slightly taller, his hair was longer and straighter and his face seemed different. Severus realised that without the glasses, he did not resemble James Potter nearly as much.

"Now Severus, I hope you have changed your mind regarding Occlumency lessons?"

Severus had forgotten that they were meant to be discussing the topic whilst Harry was gone; it had been forgotten amongst his other grievances. "I suppose." He didn't want to, but if he refused it would seem suspicious, and Albus may be prompted to react unfavourably.

"Excellent!" Albus beamed. "Now, school resumes on Monday so your first Occlumency lesson shall be that evening at, say, 7 PM, in the usual place of course."

Harry nodded in reply, not looking forward to the prospect of more Occlumency lessons. He just hoped that Snape would be nicer, and wouldn't condemn him for the pensieve affair.

"Very good. Now Harry you may go, perhaps back to bed? And please do let me know if you experience any more intrusions into Voldemort's mind."

"Ok, thanks Professor." Harry replied before leaving the office.

"Now Severus." The headmaster began, as he turned to face the younger man. "I believe it would be in our best interests if you were to let Harry know about his true nature as soon as possible, before anything happens with your Dark lord."

Severus sighed, "Do we have to tell him? Can't we just lock him away somewhere safe?"

Albus smiled sadly. "Are you afraid of becoming his father, or losing him to Voldemort?"

"I _fear_ neither." Severus scowled. "I merely wish to prevent unpleasant outcomes." With that he turned and left the office, heading down to the solitude of the Dungeons.

oOo

Harry was walking along the seventh floor corridor when he encountered Sebastian.

"Hi Harry." The younger boy smiled. "What's happened to your glasses?"

Harry's hand reached up to where they usually sat upon his face, then he remembered that he wasn't wearing them. "Oh, I didn't really need them when I got up this morning. Maybe it's something to do with the magic?"

"Maybe." Sebastian agreed. "Listen, I was thinking that we should go look for this Prophecy very soon, say Monday night?"

Harry hated Occlumency already. "Sorry, I can't, I'm busy that night."

"Ok, how about Tuesday then?"

"Sure."

The boys said their goodbyes and each headed to their destinations, with the promise of meeting at 8 o'clock on the following Tuesday night, to begin their quest to find the Prophecy.

oOo

Hermione enjoyed staying back for the Christmas holidays; it was nearly empty in Gryffindor Tower as only a few seventh years, a couple of second and third years, and the quidditch team had stayed behind. Angelina Johnson was making the team practice harder this year, getting the majority of them to stay back during the holidays so that they were almost certain to win the upcoming quidditch match.  
>The twins had been strangely secluded; Hermione guessed that they were most likely coming up with new gag creations, like the Puking Pastilles.<p>

Hermione looked up from her quiet study as Harry entered the common room. "Hello Harry." She smiled.

"Hi." Harry replied. "Hey, do you know anything about magic affecting vision?"

Hermione frowned in thought. "No, but I suppose it has something to do with your lack of glasses this morning?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, I can do some research for you if you'd like."

"Thanks Hermione that would be great."

Hermione watched Harry climb the stairs to the boys' dormitory, contemplating her new task.

oOo

Dolores Umbridge rubbed her hands together with glee, like a cartoon villain, as she headed back to her office. She had overheard some very interesting information today, information which she could use to aid in her grand plan.

oOo

**A/N: **_Things are getting interesting now, hopefully I'll post a new chapter soon but who knows._

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


	27. Intermission: Toby's Tale

**A/N: **_Sorry this took so long to update, but real life got in the way, majorly.  
>This chapter is a bit different, sort of an intermission whilst I consult my inner seer about Harry's future.<br>_

oOo

Toby hated his life sometimes.

He had been born the youngest of four children, one brother and two sisters with no more than 2 years between the three. He was 6 years younger than the younger daughter and sometimes he thought that must be the reason for everything going wrong.

His parents were magic, from a long line of wizards and witches. They had both attended Hogwarts, his mother a Slytherin and his father a Hufflepuff. Their natures seemed to defy what he had learnt about the four Hogwarts houses; his father was the boss and always in charge, while his mother followed along (when it suited her). They were both very nice and loving, but they seemed to have more time for his magic-using siblings than they did for poor little Toby.

Toby's brother Edmund was the oldest, he had been in Ravenclaw and now worked for the Ministry of Magic. He was some sort of researcher in the 'Department of Mysteries' (which, to Toby, sounded very mysterious indeed).

Tatiana came next, she had been in Hufflepuff like her father, and now was training to become a Healer, which Toby figured was some sort of magical doctor. He didn't see her much, as she had moved out shortly after Edmund and worked crazy hours during her internship.

Ella was the second daughter, and was very different. She was a Gryffindor, and the traits of the house were well-reflected in her brash, bold and arrogant manner. She had been nice to Toby when they were younger, but it seemed to be only so she could cement her status as the good guy, a nice person who stood up for the helpless. In actuality, she ignored Toby a lot of the time, even though she was his only sibling to still live at home. She was in Auror training, to eventually become a magical soldier, and dinnertime conversations almost always revolved around the newest skills she had learned, and how amazing she was.

Then there was Toby; born small and crippled, life was already going to be hard for him. He was a sickly young child, which confused many Healers as magical children rarely fell ill. The years had passed, with Toby excited to hear about the wonder of Hogwarts and eager to live and learn there. He was discouraged that his magic had not appeared by the time he turned 7, but his parents had suggested that maybe he was a late bloomer, and Toby had believed them.

When his eleventh birthday came and went with no letter from Hogwarts, he had resigned himself to a Muggle life. It was a life of bullying and teasing for his deformed, useless legs that no magic could heal, and his small size.

His own family had seemed to silently disown him at that point; his parents paid a lot more attention to his older siblings and left him to sort out the sometimes confusing nature of the Muggle world. His distant relatives had done the same, they tried to hide it but Toby knew that in their eyes he had brought shame upon the family by merely existing as a squib.

But sometimes Toby quite enjoyed life.

He had never given up the dream of attending Hogwarts. He had stifled it, buried it down deep inside him with thoughts of fairies and unicorns and mysterious warriors with blades of glowing plasma. But he had still found himself rereading _Hogwarts: a History_ and crafting himself his own magic wand in his woodwork class.

Life had become much more enjoyable now that he was friends with Dudley Dursley. Dudley had been the school bully for many years, but Toby seemed to bring out a softer side in him. Maybe Dursley was learning what it meant to be a proper friend instead of simply allying with those who held the most power, or maybe he was just afraid of expulsion.

At first Dudley had said that Toby should be proud of being a squib, of being 'the only normal person in a family of freaks'. Toby had then corrected that notion by directing a chilling glare at Dudley and explaining how Toby was the freak in the family.

After that, Dudley had been much more sympathetic of his plight.

And that is how they ended up lying in the perfectly emerald green grass of the park near Privet Drive, examining the faded old parchment of a potions book, with a stack of even more books resting in Toby's wheelchair.

"Do you reckon we could make any of these?" Dudley asked as he gently turned a fragile page, it was one of the very few books he had ever bothered to look at, let alone read.

"I don't think so." Toby replied in a dismal tone. "You need magic ingredients for most of them, and I think you have to be a witch or a wizard to make them." He idly fingered his handmade wand, it was a convincing replica but it was no substitute for the real thing.

"Maybe we could get Harry to help us when he comes home."

"Yeah, maybe. You know, I can't believe that The Boy-Who-Lived, the savior of the wizarding world, grew up with a bunch of muggles who were afraid of magic." Toby smiled ironically.

Dudley frowned at his friend. "The savior of the wizarding world?"

"Yeah, you know, he saved everyone by killing Voldemort…"

Dudley's frown grew deeper. "Who's Voldemort?"

Toby's palm met his face and he groaned at Dudley's ignorance. He _lived_ with _Harry Potter_, had he never asked the boy anything about his magical life? After a moment Toby realized that he probably hadn't; he had met the Dursleys and they did seem to be in denial about the existence of the magical world. Toby reached up to the wheelchair and pulled out a book from the middle of the stack. The golden letters on the spine identified it as _Dark Wizards and Their Downfalls_.

"This will tell you all about your cousin's claim to fame." He said, opening the book to the section on Lord Voldemort.

Dudley groaned at the prospect of reading such a large passage of writing, but he did sort of want to know why his cousin was so famous.

And so the boys spent their afternoon reading about magic, from the safety of their own normal Muggle lives. Both excited, even though they would try to hide it, about the mysterious, fantastical world that lay outside of their reach.

If they knew the danger that Harry Potter was currently in, then they may not be as enthusiastic.


	28. The Boy Who Was Deceived

**A/N: **_So I wrote this chapter almost a year ago and just decided that I should probably upload it. Uni has majorly taken over my life so I haven't been able to do much writing and I sort of lost track of what was happening with this story, but we'll see what happens._

_oOo_

_He was flying peacefully above the emerald green grass of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. The day was beautiful, sunny and warm with fluffy white clouds floating across the sky. The wind ruffled through his shaggy black hair and caused his robes to ripple and flow behind him._

_He was Harry Potter, Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and all he needed to do was find the snitch. His pulse quickened as he caught a glimpse of gold out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly swerved to face it…_

_Except he wasn't Harry Potter, he was Severus Snape, and he did not like flying._

The vision shattered as the professor broke through the barrier into Harry's mind. The memories flashed past in a whirl of sound and colour.

_Harry was laughing along with a large boy, his cousin, and a teenager in a wheelchair, now his cousin was teasing him with a group of larger boys, now he was holding Cedric's lifeless corpse in his arms, he was being kicked and hit over and over again by his uncle, he was watching from his crib as a bolt of green struck his mother and she fell to the ground._

_Lily…_

Severus ended the spell, leaving Harry's mind, and the boy fell to his knees. He watched as Harry stood slowly, his face looked pale and he seemed shaken. Severus thought back to the penultimate memory he had seen, the one with Harry's uncle.

"Have you spoken with anyone about the incident that occurred this summer?"

Harry gave a small nod, looking at Severus' feet. "I told Hermione and Ron." He said quietly.

Severus noted that his hair was longer, straighter, darker, and reminded him of his own. At least it didn't appear to be as greasy… He was going to have to reveal Harry's true parentage soon, before the boy noticed the resemblance and started asking questions. It was not something Severus was looking forward to.

"I suggest that you speak with Madam Pomfrey." Severus offered. "Such an event is likely to have traumatic effects on you, and without proper counseling you may not recover."

Harry just nodded, still avoiding his professor's gaze.

Severus felt like that he should do something more to help the boy, but it appeared that he would not listen, it was like he didn't want help, or maybe he just didn't want anything from Severus. Once again, it drew an unnerving parallel between Harry and a younger Severus, one who still lived under the oppressive rule of his abusive father.

Severus cleared his mind, resolved to speak with Dumbledore about the matter as soon as the lesson was over and raised his wand. "Shall we go again?"

oOo

As Harry headed towards the Forbidden Forest, carrying his broom with him, he thought back on the previous night's Occlumency lesson. Snape had been… Tolerant, the man had actually been nice to him about the terrible memory, but apart from that he had seemed to be lost in thought; he also looked at Harry strangely. Harry had put it down to the fact that he was no longer wearing his glasses.

Hermione had been doing some research on Harry's strange improvement in vision but she had found nothing that could happen accidentally. She had turned up some advanced positions and spells but Harry didn't think they were the cause.

"Potter!"

Harry drew his wand and whirled around to find the source of the shout. He lowered his arm only slightly as he realized that it had been Draco calling him. He internally cursed himself for not wearing the invisibility cloak, but it had been awkward trying to carry the broom underneath it.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" he asked as the pale Slytherin approached.

"Nothing really, I was just wondering to myself why Harry Potter would be carrying his broomstick towards the Forbidden Forest at this time of night." The steely glint in his eyes contrasted his casual tone.

"I have some business to take care of, that does not involve you."

"The sort of business that usually involves you, Ron and Hermione defeating evil? Where are they, anyway?"

Harry looked over at the Forbidden Forest, avoiding Draco's gaze. "I left them a note."

"A note? You're heading off to some probably dangerous destination where you may be injured or killed knowing you, and all the backup you have is a note that your best friends may or may not see. You are more of an idiot than I thought you were." Draco observed coolly.

"You have no idea what's going on, so shut up and mind your own business." Harry snapped.

There was a silence as Draco processed Harry's edgy mood, and Harry wished that the other boy would just leave already.

"Well, if you won't let your friends come with you, then at least let an enemy."

Harry frowned "You're not my enemy. But I'm still not letting you come."

He turned and walked towards the forest then stopped as he heard Draco's footsteps following him. He drew his wand and faced the boy. "Don't make me stun you." His tone was cold and chilling.

Draco raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, but don't blame me if you get yourself killed." The Slytherin walked back towards the castle.

The rest of Harry's walk to the forest passed uneventfully, Sebastian was already waiting for him in the small clearing that they had arranged to meet in. He was carrying his own broomstick and his wand was already drawn at his side.

"You ready to go?" Sebastian asked.

Harry nodded.

"Not so fast!" The boys turned, startled, to see Dolores Umbridge appear from behind a tree.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked as she withdrew her wand and walked over to them.

"I could ask you the same question. I overheard your little plotting and I'm here to put an end to it. I knew that Dumbledore was up to something, and now I have evidence. He's sending you two into the Ministry so you can destabilise it at the very core, I will not stand for this!"

The boys looked at each other, and Sebastian responded to her angry rant with a curse.

"_Crucio!"_ He hissed, casting the Unforgiveable curse upon the woman.

"What are you doing?!" Harry yelled as the woman began to writhe and scream in pain.

"Teaching her not to interfere." Sebastian's face was almost demonic as he grinned down at the woman.

Harry pulled out his own wand _"Expelliarmus!"_ He shouted at the boy, and Sebastian's wand flew into the grass.

"Fine." Sebastian glared at him resentfully. "You should probably tie her up or something, so she can't go revealing our plan to anyone.

Harry nodded and cast the incantation, he wasn't completely sure that he wanted to go anymore; Sebastian was acting very strange…

"Come on, let's go." Sebastian said, tapping his retrieved wand on his head and becoming invisible.

Harry wondered how Sebastian knew such an advanced charm, he had half a mind to just fly back to the castle but he wanted to solve the mystery of the prophecy.  
>He pulled his invisibility cloak over him and mounted his broom, then followed Sebastian as they flew off into the night.<p>

oOo

"Why would Harry go off with Sebastian?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed.

"I don't know, maybe he's replacing you. It says something about a prophecy; maybe Sebastian is the local expert." Draco replied exasperatedly.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Ron asked, his arms crossed and hostility emanating from him.

"You don't, but Harry's the one who left you the note, not me."

"I think we should tell someone." Hermione looked up from the short note that she had been analysing.

"So do I, well, I think you two should anyway, I have better things to do with my time."

"No, you're coming with us. We'll visit Dumbledore." Ron said.

"In which case, I absolutely refuse to come."

"Don't you want to help out Harry?" Hermione looked up at him.

"Not that badly, I don't trust Dumbledore at all, he's manipulative and sneaky."

"No more than you are." Ron replied, earning a glare from the Slytherin.

"How about we go see Professor Snape then?" Hermione offered.

"No!"

"Ok." Draco smiled wickedly.

"Why Snape?" Ron whined.

"Because he knows things that Dumbledore knows." Hermione said, trying to silently communicate the Order connection with Ron.

"Let's go then." Draco said, leading the way out of the unused classroom as Ron gave Hermione a look of confusion.

oOo

"So Harry has headed off to the Department of Mysteries with Sebastian, in order to recover a prophecy about which he has had many recurring dreams." Snape said, looking up from the note. "Why did you not immediately alert the headmaster?"

There was an awkward silence and Hermione looked at Draco for help.

"Because I did not wish to see the headmaster, Sir." Draco replied, trying not to avoid Snape's gaze.

"Very well then." Severus stood from his chair, "I suggest we visit him at once."

It didn't take them long to find Dumbledore, he was in the Entrance Hall and had just come in from the castle grounds. They quickly explained the situation to him, and he nodded knowingly. "I thought there was something afoot." He stated. "I was alerted to the use of an Unforgiveable curse in the Forbidden Forest and found Dolores tied to a tree. She seemed to believe that Sebastian had casted the Cruciatus Curse on her, and then he and Harry flew away towards the Ministry of Magic."

"Should we alert the others then?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore nodded "You will go ahead to the Ministry while I send word." He faced the three students. "Thank you for your help, but now you must return to your Houses. Professor Snape and I can handle it from here."

The look on Ron's face suggested otherwise. "He's our friend, we can't just sit here and wait."

"_Ron_." Hermione admonished.

"He's right." Draco said. "If it's some form of trap, then the Professor shouldn't go alone."

Snape favoured Draco with a silencing glare. "I can take care of myself, and I certainly don't need the help of some _teenagers_."

"No, but you may need a fellow Death eater." Albus stated, "One who is on your side."

Hermione gasped and Ron looked like he was about to punch Draco.

Draco glared at Dumbledore. "I didn't know we were making it public, and I do not recall ever being on your side."

"No, but you _will_ go with Severus if you wish to remain under my protection."

Draco scowled. "Fine then, but let's hurry and get this over with."

Severus bid farewell to the headmaster, then he and Draco left the Entrance Hall, heading for the gates of Hogwarts.

"What about us?" Ron asked once they had left.

"You two will come with me. We shall drop by Headquarters and let your parents and the rest of the Order know that we may have to rescue Mr Potter.

oOo

They had arrived at the Ministry, made their way down to the dark corridors that Harry had dreamed of and found themselves in circular room with many identical doors that revolved around them, a very efficient security measure but not very helpful for Harry who was trying to follow the path from his dream.

Sebastian had some hidden knowledge though, and had silently headed straight for the correct door. He had been acting stranger ever since they entered the Ministry, very silent and serious. He didn't speak to Harry except to point out the way to go.

He didn't even show surprise at some of the rooms they passed; a scale model of the solar system, a strangely fluttering veil hanging from an arch on a platform surrounded by rows of chairs, even a room full of timeturners and a chicken's lifecycle being carried out in a bell jar. Harry wished he could have taken more time to investigate the strange magical artefacts but Sebastian was hurrying through the rooms, and Harry was keeping a careful eye on him in case the boy started acting as weirdly as he had around Umbridge.

Sebastian's behaviour combined with the complete lack of anyone working in the lower levels and the strange rooms they had passed through served to make Harry feel very uneasy. He was relieved when they reached the large hall full of bookcases that he had been dreaming about for so very long. They walked towards the back of the hall, Sebastian leading the way at a fast pace, which Harry found very odd indeed.

They finally stood in front of the shelf that contained Harry's prophecy. Harry read the label

_**S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D**_

_**Dark Lord**_ _**and (?) Harry Potter**_

He reached for it, wrapping his hand around the dusty orb, there was a swirling bluish-grey mist inside. He looked up from the sphere to see Sebastian's wand pointed at him.

"Very good Potter, now hand it to me."

"What?" Why would Sebastian want his prophecy? It made no sense.

"I said, hand it over."

"Why? What do you want it for?"

"Let's just say, I have a friend who needs it more." Sebastian rolled up the sleeve of his left arm and pressed his wand against the Dark Mark that had been hidden beneath the fabric.

oOo

**A/N: **_Life would be boring without cliffhangers, have any of you watched Sherlock? ;)_

_Until next time, may your day stay bubbly! oOo_


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